CRIST OFF GOP LIST, WIDELY HISSED – AT 6:15 P.M. ET:  Charlie Crist made it official.  He's going Lieberman.  He just announced that he's dropping out of the Republican U.S. Senate primary in Florida to run as an independent.  Other Republicans frowned and said naughty things.  From CNN:

Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to abandon the Republican Party and run for Senate as an independent, made official at a St. Petersburg campaign event Thursday, marks a stunning turnaround for a politician who just over a year ago was heralded as one of the GOP's brightest young talents.

But Thursday's rally also represents a general election kick-off for what is now one of the most entertaining and unpredictable races of the midterm election year, a battle between three viable statewide candidates.

"This is unprecedented in Florida, and I would say unprecedented in the country," said Justin Sayfie, the editor of the SayfieReview.com, an online clearinghouse for Florida political news.
Crist will be hunting for votes in the nation's fourth largest state along with Democrat Kendrick Meek and Republican Marco Rubio, whose small government message has rallied conservatives to his side over the last year and turned him into a celebrity of sorts among Republicans.

COMMENT:  Republican comment is predictably negative.  Current polls show that, while Crist is competitive, he would lose to Rubio in a three-way race.  The Dem is nowhere.

Crist will have to run a negative campaign to cut into Rubio's lead and raise doubts about him.  If, by chance, he should win, I don't think it would be long before he drifts to the Democratic Party, unless he tries to make amends and announces that he will vote with the GOP to organize the Senate.  That may be critical if the body is evenly split.  But I don't expect Crist to win.

April 29, 2010