http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_el_se/us_florida_senate
Quote
Confidante: Fla. gov likely to run as independent
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer â€" 7 mins ago
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. â€" Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will likely bolt the Republican party and seek election to the U.S. Senate as an independent, a close confidante said Wednesday.
Crist will announce his plans at 5 p.m. Thursday in his hometown of St. Petersburg. The confidante, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made, cautioned that Crist can be unpredictable.
The announcement will end weeks of speculation about whether Crist will abandon the GOP after falling far behind former House Speaker and tea party favorite Marco Rubio in polls.
Crist has openly considered running without party affiliation. Top Republicans have encouraged him to stay in the primary or drop out rather than risking a split vote that could benefit likely Democratic nominee U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek.
Crist did not return calls for comment Wednesday, but he told reporters at the Capitol that he was very close to making a decision.
Asked how he would explain running without a party when he had said he was going to run as a Republican, he replied: "I don't know, number one, that I'm not, and number two, if I were to, I would say what I said the other day: Things change."
That is a shocker.
I hope he is soon to be a retired politician.
It'll be very interesting to see how the polls play out over the next several weeks/months. it will be most intriguing to observe.
QuoteI hope he is soon to be a retired politician.
I'll second that...
Mr. Rubio, I have Ned Lamont on line 2.
Alvin S. Felzenberg
Author, "The Leaders We Deserved" :
QuoteCrist could have done himself and the Republican Party much good had he dropped out of the race, endorsed Rubio, and run for the Senate in two years. He might also have reconsidered his decision to step down as governor this year.
Lieberman had three things going for him that Crist lacks. First, because he was closely associated in the public's mind with national security, Lieberman was able to justify his campaign on principle. (Left-leaning elements enhanced his credibility when they read Lieberman out of the party after he penned a piece for the Wall Street Journal in support of Bush's war policies.)
Second, with the Republicans fielding a weak candidate against Lieberman, GOP voters felt comfortable crossing over for a man they already knew and trusted. Moreover, courtesy of "Buckpac," a group the late William F. Buckley formed to assist Lieberman against the more liberal Lowell Weicker in 1988, Republicans had a history of helping their friend, "Joe.")
Third, Lieberman had a national donor base and high and positive name recognition among people of all parties. Finally, Lieberman, it will be recalled, did not mount his independent campaign until after he had lost the Democratic primary. With Florida law not allowing Crist this option, his move will strike many as sheer opportunism.
Crist's only hope is to cast himself as the only centrist between ideologues to his right and left. The charismatic Rubio, the closest the GOP has come to finding a "new Reagan for a new century," will not allow that to happen. Articulate, media savvy, and already showing s streak of independence reminiscent of Scott Brown, Rubio can hold his base and build to it by appearing reasonable. With the White House seeing a chance to pick up a seat in the Sunshine State, Meek will not be crowded out. Enough Hollywood stars and Wall Street money will be heading to Florida to make this the most covered and expensive Senate race in the country.
Given the pounding Rubio has extracted on Crist already, I don't see Crist winning. Either Meek will slip by, or Rubio takes his current lead to home plate.
With The Bush Machine backing Rubio, the Dems backing Meek, and Hollywood backing either Meeks or Crist (I guess that's one way to look at it?), I wonder if Crist really does have a chance...