Crist To Run For Senate In Florida
We may not get to enjoy the spectacle of a Toomey-Ridge battle-for-the-soul-of-the-GOP in Pennsylvania next year, but as a consolation prize, we'll get to see a similar fight play out in Florida. Eric highlighted this in the Morning Roundup, but it's worth reiterating. Governor Charlie Crist will announce tomorrow that he intends to run for Senate in 2010 against conservative Marco Rubio.
Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to announce Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate, setting off a high-stakes game of musical chairs that will completely overhaul the top echelon of state government in 2010.Crist's former chief-of-staff, George LeMieux, confirmed late Sunday that the governor will make an announcement at a ''low-key'' event Tuesday in Tallahassee.
LeMieux and Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, have been dropping hints about Crist's decision for the past week.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) is retiring at the end of his term, and the popular Crist will surely be the front runner, both in the (closed) primary and in the general election. Crist has been criticized on the right for, among other things, joining the majority of Floridians in support of the President's stimulus bill.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Very popular gay pro-environment pro-Obama governor here in Fla. Future face of the Republican party.
May 11, 2009 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
sound republican lite.
May 11, 2009 1:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone know how Gov. Crist's new wife is handling the "outing"??
May 11, 2009 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone seen "Outrage" yet?
May 11, 2009 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is unfortunate. FL would have been a great pickup opportunity for the Dems if Crist had sat it out.
May 11, 2009 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Florida has a closed primary, however Cornyn is recruiting moderates in toss-up states. Crist should win easily in Fla.
May 11, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
This could turn out to be positive for the Democrats, if they can now win the governor's race. The Republicans seem likely to hold big majorities in both houses of the legislature because of the gerrymandered maps they drew when Jeb Bush was governor. The congressional map they produced then led to the election of 18 Republicans and only 7 Democrats, and they could probably produce another map along those lines in 2011, wiping out the Democratic gains in South Florida and the I-4 corridor. This gives us a chance to protect Alan Grayson, Suzanne Kosmas, and Ron Klein, and, with a fair map, pick up two or three other seats. So Crist's decision might result in a difference of as many as 6 House seats, and a number of legislative seats IF the Democat can win the governor's race.
Why not Bill Nelson? He's clearly shown that he can win statewide, and he wouldn't be much of a loss in the senate, especially since he could appoint his own successor.
May 11, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Crist will just help further splinter the GOP.
Get your popcorn ready!
May 11, 2009 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink