FL-SEN

Greene: My Lawsuit Is 'Just As Important' As Run For Senate

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2010, 8:40AM

Jeff Greene

Jeff Greene, the defeated Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Florida and current anti-media crusader, says he's on a mission to break the cabal of reporters who he says have dominated Florida politics for too long. His $500 million lawsuit against two prominent Florida papers, he told me yesterday, is his new quest to set Florida on the right path.

"To me this is just as important as running for office," Greene said of his libel suits against the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times. The billionaire investor claims that his multi-million dollar campaign for the Democratic nomination went down in flames, in part, due to reporting that was at best shoddy and at worst out-and-out biased. Greene seemed more inclined to believe the latter, suggesting that one reporter, the Times' venerated political correspondent Adam Smith, was more interested in taking down Greene than reporting the facts.

"It is our firm opinion that the allegations in this lawsuit are preposterous," Times editor Neil Brown said in a statement. "We believe Jeff Greene is a sore loser and he's blaming the newspapers because he can't accept the verdict of the voters."

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Jeff Greene

Billionaire FL Dem Loser Blames And Sues Media For Loss

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 1, 2010, 11:16AM

Jeff Greene

Not news: a politician blames the media for his epic downfall and convincing defeat. News: the politician takes the media to court and asks for $500 million in damages.

That's the man-bites-dog story playing out in Florida today, where Jeff Greene -- the billionaire investor who just got crushed by Kendrick Meek in the Democratic primary for Senate -- is filing suit against two state papers for, he says, tanking the Senate campaign he spent tens of millions from his personal fortune on.

The New York Times reports that Greene is filing a libel suit against the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald, claiming that the papers' coverage of his infamous yacht and his even more infamous path to super-wealth were false and so damaging as to cost him the Democratic nomination.

As the Times reports, Greene's suit "is a rare step for a political figure." Many losing candidates come to hate the media, but few go so far as to take it to court.

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FL-SEN

Does Meek's Primary Win Hurt Crist -- And Help Rubio?

Eric Kleefeld | August 25, 2010, 9:35AM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Rep. Kendrick Meek

It's possible that Kendrick Meek's win in the Florida Democratic Senate primary could be good news for Republican Marco Rubio. And this is not because of any deficiencies on Meek's part. Instead, it's the fact that he's a much better Dem candidate than his primary rival, businessman Jeff Greene, and could end up winning too many Democratic votes and splitting the anti-Rubio vote with the other big player in the race, the ex-Republican and now independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

Keep in mind that it is widely believed that Crist would potentially caucus with the Democrats if he won the Senate race. As a result, he has soaked up a lot of Democratic support in many polls throughout the state -- not to mention the cash of Dem fundraisers -- effectively overshadowing both Meek and Greene as the true opponent to Rubio. But of course, in order to caucus with the Senate Dems, Crist would have to get elected to the Senate first, and would have to hold onto his independent and Republican voters while simultaneously grabbing a lot of the Dems. And it seems intuitive that Meek, a Congressman who has supported Obama's agenda in Congress, would be more appealing to Dem voters than Greene, the hard-partying businessman who previously ran for Congress as a Republican in the 1980s.

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2010 elections

AP: Kendrick Meek Thumps Jeff Greene In Dems' Florida Senate Primary

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2010, 8:20PM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Just when everyone thought he was out, Rep. Kendrick Meek pulled himself back in. After a brutal and expensive surprise primary challenge from billionaire investor Jeff Greene, the AP is reporting that Meek has won the prize he thought he had in his grasp months ago: the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida.

With 38% of precincts reporting, Meek is leading Greene 55-32. Also-ran former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre has 6% of the vote. Meek is now set to take the stage in a general election fight where, essentially, two men are vying for the Democratic vote -- Meek and Gov. Charlie Crist, who has run hard for Democratic support since abandoning the GOP primary against Marco Rubio.

Before we turn our attention to uphill climb Meek now faces against Crist and Rubio, we should take a moment to note the uphill climb he just completed. Meek was all but written off after Greene's barrage of negative advertising left the relatively unknown Meek down in the polls. But Meek battled back, taking on Greene with tough rhetoric in debates and pulling in help from powerful friends like President Clinton and President Obama. He ran negative ads of his own and likely was overjoyed as media attention quickly deflated the regular-guy image the flamboyant Greene tried to create for himself. Just as he did early in the primary cycle -- when his fundraising prowess cleared the field early -- Meek has shown that he is ready and willing to fight for the nomination.

Unfortunately for him, Meek just got what he's been wishing for.

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FL-SEN

Today Is Florida Primary Day

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2010, 10:35AM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

This is it, folks -- the day when we learn which of the candidates in the hotly-contested primaries in Florida will start the general election fight behind. That's right. Essentially what they're fighting for today in the Democratic Senate primary and the Republican gubernatorial fight in Florida is who gets to start the race to November running behind the frontrunner.

In the gubernatorial fight, which pits wealthy former hospital executive Rick Scott against Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, the nasty Republican primary has left likely Democratic nominee and state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink leading general election polls. Whichever Republican wins tonight will have to take time to rebuild excitement among voters who appear to have been turned off by the nasty Republican primary.

As for Scott and McCollum, polls show its anybody's game tonight -- though McCollum has had the momentum in the closing days of the contest. The TPM Poll Average for the race shows McCollum ahead 42.1-38.2.

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FL-SEN

Weekend Polls Show Kendrick Meek Riding High

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 9:52AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

A trio of new polls from the weekend show Rep. Kendrick Meek with the wind at his back heading into tomorrow's Democratic primary for Senate in Florida. The numbers show that Meek has shaken off the negative hits billionaire investor Jeff Greene has thrown his way, despite the huge amount of money Greene has poured into the race with the goal of turning Democratic voters off to the four-term Congressman.

All three polls show Meek ahead by double digits. A Mason-Dixon poll conducted last week shows Meek up 12, 42-30. A new Qunnipiac poll from the weekend shows him ahead by 10, and a PPP(D) poll taken during the same period shows Meek ahead 51-27.

As it stands less than 24 hours before the primary vote, TPM Poll Average shows Meek leading a three-way race with Greene and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre by a comfortable margin. The average shows Meek with 38.8% of the vote, Greene with 27.7% and Ferre with 3.7%.

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2010 elections

Rich Guys Finish Last? Big Spending Could Still Mean Big Failure In Florida Tuesday

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 9:13AM

FL Gov. candidate Rick Scott (R) and FL Sen. candidate Jeff Greene (D)

How much does it cost to buy your way out of your past? In Florida, it looks like the answer is well north of $20 million to $30 million. That's at least how much the two rich guys trying to buy their way into the voter's hearts in the Sunshine State -- Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott -- have spent on their primary campaigns, respectively. And with a number of recent polls showing that each could be in trouble in the primaries they turned upside-down with their massive personal spending, it's starting to look like Tuesday could be the day rich guys finish last.

Each man brings a lot of personal baggage to his candidacy. Scott is the disgraced former executive of a hospital chain that was slapped with more than $1 billion in fines for defrauding the federal government on his watch. Greene has had to run away from past personal associations with such luminaries as Mike Tyson, Heidi Fleiss and Lindsay Lohan. And that was before he had to explain his way out of becoming a billionaire by betting the mortgage bubble would burst.

Greene and Scott both seemed to think that spending big and going negative on their establishment opponents would bring them political fortunes as big as the ones they keep at the bank (or, more likely, a series of banks and complex investment schemes that no lowly Internet reporter could imagine in his wildest dreams). The game plan was simple: use your lack of name ID to run as an "outsider," and use your overflowing war chest to trash your establishment opponent on TV.

The plan could still work. Greene and Scott could each still win. But there's been a clear shift in the polls, and with one day before primary voters go to the polls in Florida, it's looking more and more like a tough sell for both men.

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FL-SEN

Quinnipiac Poll: Crist Still Ahead In FL-SEN Race

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2010, 9:27AM

Governor Charlie Crist (I-FL)

The new Quinnipiac poll of the Florida Senate race shows independent Gov. Charlie Crist continuing to lead Republican Marco Rubio -- and the ex-GOPer Crist is picking up more Democratic voters than the actual Dem candidates.

The poll has Crist leading Rubio by 39%-32%, with Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek far behind at 16%. With businessman Jeff Greene as the Dem nominee, Crist leads Rubio Greene by 40%-32%-15%. The survey of registered voters has a ±3% margin of error. In the previous Quinnipiac poll from three weeks ago, Crist led Rubio and Meek by 39%-33%-13%, and he led Rubio and Greene by 37%-32%-17%.

From the pollster's analysis: "Crist is getting more support from Democrats than either Greene or Meek. The key for Crist will be whether he can hold this many Democrats once the party's nomination is settled and keep his half of the independent voters."

The TPM Poll Average has Crist leading Rubio and Meek by 36.0%-33.8%-16.8%, and Crist leading Rubio and Greene by 38.0%-33.9%-15.9%.

The Florida primary is August 24.

'Ground Zero Mosque'

The Out-Of-Towners: Politicians From Far, Far Away Fight Muslim Center In NYC

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2010, 8:25AM

The Cordoba House project, the Muslim community center that is set to be built in lower Manhattan a few blocks from the World Trade Center site, has inspired all sorts of opposition. But it's not exactly a not-in-my-back-yard phenomenon. In fact, many of the politicians who have called for stopping the project, and who have spoken of the sacredness of the ground there, aren't from anywhere even remotely nearby to begin with.

Indeed, the intensity of opposition seems to increase as one actually gets further away from the site. And this isn't just for politicians, it's for us regular people, too. A CNN poll has put national opposition at 68%. Meanwhile, a Marist poll of New York City put opposition at a somewhat lower 53%. And furthermore, opposition was lowest in Manhattan -- the site of the actual Ground Zero location and the 9/11 attacks -- where a 53% majority approved of the Muslim community center, compared to 31% against. Opposition then increases in the surrounding boroughs of New York City, a place that has a population larger than many states, and then increases even more going out into the country beyond.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Welcome To The Neighborhood: A Look At The Area Around The 'Ground Zero Mosque']

We decided to use a simple methodology: Using Google Earth, put down a location pin on the World Trade Center site, and then measure the distance to the hometowns of politicians who have slammed the project. So let's take a look at some of these political leaders who come from far and wide, and want to preserve the integrity of the hallowed land with which they don't actually come into regular contact.

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Muslims

How New York's 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fell Into Florida's Political Spotlight

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 16, 2010, 4:29PM

Marco Rubio (R), candidate for US Senate in Florida

According to Google, the proposed Islamic community center in lower Manhattan is 1,275 miles away from downtown Miami, Florida. But that doesn't mean the proposed Cordoba House that's likely to be constructed blocks away from the former site of the Twin Towers hasn't become a big issue in Florida politics.

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio -- already an ardent supporter of all things conservative (if you don't count his against-it-before-I-was-kind-of-for-it stance on Arizona's immigration law) -- is taking a firm stand with the rest of his party by vocally opposing the Cordoba House project.

"It is divisive and disrespectful to build a mosque next to the site where 3,000 innocent people were murdered at the hands of Islamic extremism," Rubio said in a statement Saturday.

Both men running for the GOP's gubernatorial nomination say basically the same thing. Attorney General Bill McCollum says he'd be OK with a Muslim construction project "farther away" from the Ground Zero site and former hospital exec Rick Scott is already running a TV ad attacking "Obama's Mosque."

So that's that. Anti-mosque Republicans can stand by their men in the Sunshine State.

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FL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Rubio And Crist In Tight FL-SEN Race

Thomas Rhiel | August 11, 2010, 10:11AM

FL Sen candidates Kendrick Meek (D), Charlie Crist (I), and Marco Rubio (R)

Rasmussen's new poll of the Florida Senate race contains some good news for Republican Marco Rubio -- sort of. Rubio, who's trailing Independent Gov. Charlie Crist in most polls, is up 38%-33% over Crist in Rasmussen's new survey when the Democrat in the race is Kendrick Meek, who trails with 21%. Against the other Democrat, Jeff Greene, Rubio doesn't fare as well -- he trails Crist 37%-36%, while Greene takes third with 20%.

When Rasmussen last polled the contest on July 21, Rubio's lead over Crist with Meek in the race was only two points, and with Greene in the race, Rubio was down two to Crist. The new poll, then, is a slight improvement for Rubio, albeit one within the poll's ±4.0-point margin of error.

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FL-SEN

Jeff Greene Attacks: Kendrick Meek's Ethics Problems Are Worse Than Rangel's

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 8, 2010, 6:46PM

Jeff Greene

In an interview with TPMDC this afternoon, billionaire investor Jeff Greene suggested that Rep. Kendrick Meek is a worse ethical offender than the notorious Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY). Greene and Meek are locked in a nasty fight for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, and Greene tried to take things up a notch by associating Meek with Rangel's high profile ethics investigation underway in Congress.

The interview followed a hastily announced conference call with reporters in which Greene called on Rangel to resign -- and urged Meek to do the same. (As the Palm Beach Post reports, Meek said last week he "favors letting the House Ethics Committee process play out" before passing judgment on what Rangel should do next.)

The talk of Rangel was simply pretext to the attacks on Meek, however, who Greene said deserved his own ethics investigation over his family's ties to a Florida developer who Meek obtained an earmark for six years ago. The charge has been a part of Greene's campaign for quite a while now, and Meek has denied wrongdoing on many occasions.

Greene seems to think Rangel's ethics problems give him a new window to open up the old line of attack on Meek.

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FL-SEN

Mason-Dixon Poll: Meek Edging Greene in Dem FL-SEN Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 6, 2010, 10:48AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

The latest Mason-Dixon poll of Florida's Democratic Senate primary gives Rep. Kendrick Meek a slim 33%-29% lead over opponent Jeff Greene -- a statistical tie, given the poll's ±4.0-point margin of error.

The new survey, conducted August 2-4, is in agreement with an internal poll released Thursday by the Meek campaign, which also showed Meek and Greene in a statistical dead heat. Both polls are at odds with a July 27 Quinnipiac survey, which put Greene ahead by 10 points.

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FL-SEN

Meek's Internal Poll: This FL-SEN Dem Primary Is A Dead Heat

Thomas Rhiel | August 5, 2010, 6:07PM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

Rep. Kendrick Meek, who's battling Jeff Greene in Florida's Democratic Senate primary, is out today with a new internal poll that shows he and Greene statistically neck-and-neck. The poll, conducted from August 1-3 by the Feldman Group, shows Meek with 46%, Greene with 45%, and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre with 8%. The margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points.

Abe Dyk, Meek's campaign manager, writes that the poll's crosstabs contain more good news for Meek:

Kendrick leads by six points among those voters who have participated in each of the last four Democratic primaries and by four points among those who voted in the August 2008 primary election. Kendrick also enjoys a double digit advantage in the four Congressional districts with contested U.S. House primaries. Grassroots turnout will be critical, and Kendrick is running a grassroots campaign. Higher turnout in those districts give Kendrick a real boost.

Polling of the race has been scant and varied, but the latest Quinnipiac poll showed Greene leading Meek 33%-23%. The primary is August 24.

FL-SEN

Poll: Crist Maintains Lead Over Rubio In FL-SEN

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 4:14PM

Marco Rubio (R) and Gov. Charlie Christ (I), candidates for US Senate in Florida

A new survey of the Florida Senate race shows Gov. Charlie Crist (I) ahead of Marco Rubio (R) by some of the largest margins reported by any poll so far. With Democrat Jeff Greene in the race, Saturday's Florida Poll finds, Crist leads Rubio 37%-29%, while Greene takes third with 16%. When the Democrat is Kendrick Meek, Crist tops Rubio 41%-30%, while Meek trails with 12%.

With the exception of Rasmussen, which has shown a close contest between Crist and Rubio, recent polling has consistently found Crist leading Rubio. Before the latest Florida Poll, though, only one other poll -- a June 13 Cherry Communications survey -- had shown Crist leading by double digits.

With Greene in the race, the TPM Poll Average has Crist at 37.1%, Rubio at 30.7%, and Greene at 17.0%. When the Democrat is Meek, the TPM Poll Average of the race shows Crist with 37.6%, Rubio with 32.5%, and Meek with 14.5%. The margin of error of the latest Florida Poll, which was conducted along with the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland, is ±4.0 percentage points.

The primary is August 24.

FL-SEN

Kendrick Meek Rips FL-SEN Dem Opponent Greene In New Attack Ad (VIDEO)

Thomas Rhiel | July 30, 2010, 2:09PM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Just days after Kendrick Meek took to the airwaves with his first TV ad in Florida's Democratic Senate primary, he's back with another hard-hitting spot. Like his first ad, which came out Monday, Meek's latest effort goes for the throat of billionaire opponent Jeff Greene, who's depicted in the ad as a big spender running a dishonest campaign. "Jeff Greene can buy anything," the ad begins, "except the truth."

The line's not only a populist zinger, but also a nod to Greene's financial advantage in the race, which until this week had enabled him to blanket the state with TV spots that Meek's campaign couldn't afford to answer. The Meek campaign -- which on Wednesday claimed to have earned the financial backing of national Democratic party organizations -- has not yet disclosed the scope of its latest ad buy. But since Monday, when Meek's first ad went on the air, the Greene campaign has already struck back with two new spots, both mudslingers that accuse Meek of corruption.

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FL-SEN

Quinnipiac Poll: Crist Still Leads Rubio In Florida Senate Race

Thomas Rhiel | July 30, 2010, 9:25AM

Marco Rubio (R) and Gov. Charlie Christ (I), candidates for US Senate in Florida

Quinnipiac's out with new numbers from the Florida Senate race, and Independent Gov. Charlie Crist is still out in front. Against Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Jeff Greene -- the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, according to a Quinnipiac poll released earlier this week -- Crist leads 37% to Rubio's 32% and Greene's 17%. When the Democrat in the race is Rep. Kendrick Meek, Crist does a little better, polling at 39% to Rubio's 33% and Meek's 13%.

That's not much different than Quinnipiac's last poll of the race from June 7, which showed Crist up seven points against Rubio when Greene's the Democrat, and Crist up four points against Rubio when Meek's the Democrat.

Today's numbers show a less competitive race than last week's Rasmussen survey, which showed Crist up only two against Rubio when the Democrat is Greene, and Rubio ahead two against Crist when the Democrat is Meek. The new Quinnipiac poll is more in line with a PPP survey from July 18, which gave Crist a 38%-29% edge over Rubio when Greene's in the race and a 35%-29% lead when Meek's in the race.

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FL-SEN

Quinnipiac Poll: Greene Takes Big Lead Over Meek In FL-SEN Dem Primary

Thomas Rhiel | July 29, 2010, 9:22AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

Quinnipiac's out with new numbers from the Florida Democratic Senate primary, and they show businessman Jeff Greene taking the lead. Although "undecided" beat out all three candidates vying for the nomination -- something that isn't new for this race -- Greene leads the pack with 33%. Rep. Kendrick Meek is at 23%, and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre trails with 4%.

These Quinnipiac numbers are the first to show a clear leader in the race. A PPP poll from July 18 put Meek just ahead of Greene 28%-25%, and a Quinnipiac survey from June similarly showed Meek edging Green 29%-27%.

Both Greene and Meek are polling well behind the race's other two big-name candidates: Gov. Charlie Crist (I) and tea party favorite Marco Rubio (R).

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FL-SEN

Jeff Greene Gets New Campaign Manager

Eric Kleefeld | July 28, 2010, 4:13PM

Jeff Greene

The campaign of businessman Jeff Greene, who is running for the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida, is shaking up its operation heading into the August 24 primary.

As the St. Petersburg Times reports, Greene's campaign manager Josh Morrow has left the team, replaced by Jessica Vanden Berg. He also has a new media consultant, the firm of Devine/Mulvey.

The little polling that exists of this primary shows Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek just barely edging Greene, but with "undecided" as the faraway winner against both of these relatively unknown candidates. In the general election, both of them run in a distant third place, behind ex-Republican and now independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican Marco Rubio.

FL-SEN

Kendrick Meek Attacks In His First Ad Of Dem Primary In FL-SEN (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 26, 2010, 4:20PM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

The wait is over: Kendrick Meek just fired his first return volley of the Democratic primary -- a race that until now had been dominated by billionaire investor Jeff Greene's millions in television ad spending. Befitting the nature of the increasingly nasty Democratic fight, Meek's first spot is an attack ad, smacking Greene hard for making money betting on the downturn in the housing market.

Meek's ad hits the airwaves just as signs have begun to show that Greene's multimillion-dollar ad campaign -- which has targeted Meek with negative attacks as well as sought to build Greene's own name ID -- has struggled to knock Meek out of the primary fight, despite Meek's lack of advertising and extremely low name ID.

The Meek campaign has touted a PPP (D) poll released last week that showed, despite Greene's spending (he even ran an ad in the Washington, DC media market attacking Meek for a time), that Meek still has a slim lead despite having not spent a dime on TV advertising so far. What's more, the poll shows Greene with a negative approval rating among Florida's voters, who he's been free to bombard with ads for months.

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FL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Crist And Rubio Neck And Neck In Florida

Thomas Rhiel | July 22, 2010, 3:19PM

FL Sen candidates Kendrick Meek (D), Charlie Crist (I), and Marco Rubio (R)

Today's Rasmussen poll of the Florida Senate race suggests that the Democrat in the contest could make a real difference -- even though neither possible Democratic nominee seems to have a great shot at actually winning.

When Democratic businessman Jeff Greene is pitted against Independent Charlie Crist and Republican Marco Rubio, Crist leads Rubio 36-34, with Greene lagging in third with 19%. But when Rep. Kendrick Meek is the Democrat in the race, Rubio tops Crist 35-33, while Meek trails with 20%.

The last Rasmussen poll -- from July 6 -- showed Rubio leading Crist and Meek 36-34-15, and leading Crist and Greene 37-33-18.

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FL-SEN

PPP Poll: Meek And Greene In Tight Race For Dem Nod In Florida Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | July 22, 2010, 12:11PM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

The new survey by Public Policy Polling (D) of the Florida Democratic Senate primary shows Rep. Kendrick Meek and businessman Jeff Greene in a close race, with both of them remaining widely unknown by the voting public heading into the August 24 primary.

Meek has 28% support and Greene 25%, followed by natural health businessman Glenn Burkett at 6%, and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferré at 4% -- with 37% of respondents undecided. The survey of likely Dem primary voters has a ±5.3% margin of error, and there is no prior PPP survey of this race for direct comparison.

Meek's personal rating is only 33% favorable to 20% unfavorable, with 47% having no opinion of him. Greene's rating is in the red at 22%-33%, with a similar 45% having no opinion. Polls of the general election have also consistently shown either Meek or Greene running in third place, behind former Republican and now independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican Marco Rubio.

FL-SEN

PPP Poll: Crist Leading In Florida Senate Race, Becoming De Facto Dem

Eric Kleefeld | July 20, 2010, 11:28AM

FL Sen candidates Kendrick Meek (D), Charlie Crist (I), and Marco Rubio (R)

The new survey of the Florida Senate race by Public Policy Polling (D) shows Gov. Charlie Crist, an ex-Republican who bolted the GOP to run as an independent, continuing to lead. Indeed, he is at this point a de facto Democratic candidate, pushing Dem contenders Rep. Kendrick Meek and businessman Jeff Greene into third place -- but can Crist maintain his momentum?

In a matchup with his Republican nemesis Marco Rubio and Meek as the Dem nominee, Crist leads with 35%, followed by Rubio at 29%, Meek with 17%, and Libertarian Alex Snitker with 4%. With Greene as the Dem, Crist has 38%, Rubio stays the same at 29%, Greene has 13%, and Snitker 3%. The survey of registered voters has a ±3.26% margin of error.

The last time PPP checked out this race was in March, before Crist left the GOP. At the time, a poll of the hypothetical three-way race gave Rubio the lead with 34%, followed by Crist at 27% and Meek with 25%. Greene was not yet in the race.

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FL-SEN

Florida Dem Jeff Greene Spotted With Lindsay Lohan In St. Barth

Megan Carpentier | July 8, 2010, 2:01PM

FL-SEN Candidate Jeffrey Greene (D-FL) and Lindsay Lohan

Not recently, of course, as Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail on Tuesday and will have to report for her sentence on July 20. But whereas most politicians have to live down photographs with far less photogenic felons -- Jack Abramoff and George W. Bush come to mind -- Florida Senate candidate Jeff Greene will only have to live down several recently-surfaced pictures of him hanging out over New Years with Lindsay Lohan.

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FL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Rubio Narrowly Ahead In FL-SEN

Eric Kleefeld | July 8, 2010, 9:32AM

Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL)

The new Rasmussen poll of the Florida Senate race shows Republican Marco Rubio taking a narrow lead in this crazy three-way race.

In a match-up against former Republican and now-independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek, Rubio has 36%, Crist 34%, and Meek 15%. With businessman Jeff Greene as the Democratic nominee, Rubio has 37%, Crist 33%, and Greene 18%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4.5%. In the previous poll from a month ago, Rubio and Crist were tied at 37%-37% with Meek at 15%, and a race with Greene had Crist taking 41%, Rubio 37%, and Greene 13%.

The TPM Poll Average gives Crist 37.4%, Rubio 35.2%, and Meek 13.6%. In a race with Greene, Crist has 38%, Rubio 35.7%, and Greene 15.0%.

FL-SEN

Are Democrats Abandoning Kendrick Meek In Florida?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 28, 2010, 8:29AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Gov. Charlie Crist is becoming the de facto Democratic nominee in the Florida Senate race, and there's evidence that Democratic donors are starting to line up behind him. That's not good news for the party's actual choice in the race, Rep. Kendrick Meek.

Since abandoning the Republican Party in the face of a challenge from Marco Rubio, Crist has pulled left on issues near and dear to organized labor and other classically Democratic constituency groups. So far, most of the groups that endorsed Meek early have praised Crist's moves but have stayed with Meek.

In Friday's St. Petersburg Times, however, there's evidence Democratic fundraising machinery is leaving Meek behind.

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FL-SEN

Clash Of The Other Guys: Dems Debate In FL-SEN Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 23, 2010, 11:48AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

You may not know it, but there's more to the heated Florida Senate race than just Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. Yesterday, the players in the minor leagues of the contest -- Democratic candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene -- met in their first debate. And for 90 minutes they beat the hell out of each other.

The clash was an important one for Meek, who took pains to clear a path to the Democratic nomination very early. He needed to show that he was still a serious candidate, despite his poor poll numbers and lack of national attention. Greene, on the other hand, needed to show that he's a serious person, and not just a rich guy throwing money around.

Local reviews of the debate describe two men intent on tearing each other down. What that means for the fall is anybody's guess -- polls show neither Democrat doing very well against Crist and Rubio.

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FL-SEN

Poll: 'Undecided' Way Ahead In FL-SEN Dem Primary

Eric Kleefeld | June 10, 2010, 9:59AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

The new Quinnipiac poll in Florida suggests that there is in no true frontrunner at all for the Democratic nomination for Senate -- Rep. Kendrick Meek and businessman Jeff Greene are both so unknown to voters that it could be anyone's game in the race to go up against Republican Marco Rubio and independent Charlie Crist.

The numbers: Meek 29%, Greene 27%, former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre 3%, and a plurality of 37% undecided. The survey of likely Dem primary voters has a ±3.5% margin of error.

The candidates are all unknowns. Meek's favorable rating among Dem primary voters is at 29%, with 8% unfavorable, and 59% who haven't heard enough. Greene is at 23%-10%-64%. And Ferre, who was mayor of Miami all the way back in the 1970s and 1980s, is at 8%-6%-83%.