So is Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) about to leave the GOP and run for Senate as an independent, or not?
Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage reported that “reliable sources” said Crist was preparing a speech in which he would announce his switch from Republican to independent.
However, a source close to Crist tells TPMDC, “there is no speech.” Another GOP source tells TPMDC that they have not heard about it.
The TPM Poll Average has Crist trailing Marco Rubio by a margin of 59.1%-27.9%, a mirror image of where things were a year ago. However, a Quinnipiac poll from last week suggested that Crist could potentially win a three-way race as an independent, against Rubio and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek.
Crist has now begun openly considering an independent run. Also, several Republicans have been backing away from their support for him in the last week, including former Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and others.
Whatever the facts are, Crist has until the April 30 filing deadline to officially decide whether he will run as a Republican or as an independent.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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