BREAKING: Crist WILL run as an Independent!
Southern Political Report is reporting that Crist will announce soon that he will run as an Independent.
http://www.southernpoliticalreport.c...
Crist is working on his announcement on running as an Independent.
It may be the worst-kept secret in American politics today, and it’s apparently about to become a reality. Reliable sources informed me today that embattled Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, whose early lead in his US Senate Republican primary race against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has essentially reversed itself in the polls, is preparing to announce sooner rather than later that he will leave the GOP and continue his run for Senate as an independent. Sources add that the speech Crist will use in his announcement is now being drafted.
Of course Crist is known from time to time for running political misdirections that surprise even political experts at the last minute. But the tea leaves Crist has left trailing behind him in recent weeks - particularly his about-face in vetoing an education reform bill dear to Florida Republicans - certainly seem to portend an abandonment of the party. Throw in, too, that he has recently been losing support from national and Florida GOP honchos - such as Mitt Romney and Crist’s now ex-campaign chair, former US Sen. Connie Mack, among other various Florida Republican luminaries.
There are a lot of factors right now that is happening Crist's decision to run as an Independent and whether or not he would win in a 3 way race with Rubio and Meeks.
Crist has been essentially kicked out of the Republican party and there may be no turning back even if he was to stick it out and run against Rubio in the primary.
But now Rubio and the Florida Republican party has their own problems. Rubio and the Republicans in Florida are under investigation by the FBI and the IRS for charging personal items on the credit cards of the state party. This may put a damper on the Rubio campaign specifically and the Floridian Republicans in general.
Meeks is well liked by the Democratic party but not well known in the state. With Rubio's troubles, Meeks being unknown, and Crist's positioning himself in the middle, it is conceivable that he could eek out a victory in the end. Unclear who a Senator Crist would caucus with but the Republicans have treated him badly and he may end up caucusing with the Democrats. Wouldn't that be a hoot in the end!
Source
Guess Crist took me at my word when I emailed his campaign this morning to say I'd vote for him if he'd run as an Independent. :D Meeks (the Dem candidate) does seem like a good guy, and he's been in the State Senate since 2003, but he's just not known at a state-wide level enough to get elected this time around.
I don't agree with everything Crist has done, but he's managed to actually make some tough decisions that flew in the face of the establishment GOP when they were better for the people here in Florida. If he really does follow through on this, I think he's got a real shot at winning.