Among numerous polls showing that sitting GOP Governor Charlie Crist is losing to Marco Rubio in the primary race for the U.S. Senate in Florida rumors abound that Crist may continue to seek the seat as a third-party candidate:
Polls show that Rubio has increased his lead over Crist in the lead up to the Republican primary, and he has picked up high-profile endorsements from prominent Republicans like Mitt Romneyand Rudy Giuliani along the way. Crist, once considered the front-runner in the race, has become increasingly unpopular among Republicans, and many suspect he will soon leave the party and run as an Independent.
The rumors were bolstered by Crist’s veto this week of a Republican-backed education bill that included merit pay for teachers. Following the veto, Crist said he would examine the possibility of running as an independent “later on” but then insisted he is not considering it.
This would be an interesting development in a race that looks exceedingly good for the GOP. Ultimately, I do not believe Crist will try to attain the seat as a third-party candidate, but this would be great news for the Democrats.
