CRIST WOULD CAUCUS WITH DEMS…. It’s almost certainly a moot point. Florida’s U.S. Senate race, barring an 11th-hour surge or a polling failure of epic proportions, is just about over, and far-right Republican Marco Rubio is poised to win fairly easily.
But ever since Gov. Charlie Crist was driven out of the Republican Party for being too moderate, and decided to run for the Senate as an independent, there’s been a nagging question: if he won, which party would he caucus with? When pressed, Crist tends to say he would caucus “with the people,” or with “Florida’s best interests,” which is deliberately vague.
At this point, though, there’s not much doubt about which direction he’d go.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would caucus with Senate Democrats if he wins Florida’s three-way U.S. Senate contest on Tuesday, a close advisor told Washington Wire Friday.
That’s a big “if.” Mr. Crist is trailing Republican candidate Marco Rubio in most polls. But the declaration by Florida trial lawyer John Morgan sheds light on one of the many mysteries in the Bill Clinton-Charlie Crist-Kendrick Meek imbroglio.
“Crist is going to caucus with the Democrats,” Mr. Morgan said. “I don’t think there’s any ifs, ands or buts about it. It would be, in a very tight year, almost like a Democratic pickup in a solid Republican state.”
Well, “going to” is probably the wrong way to phrase this, since Rubio is cruising, but it’s nevertheless an interesting thing to say.
Keep in mind, John Morgan isn’t just some random Crist associate — he’s a long-time ally of the governor’s, who has advised and raised money for Crist’s campaigns, including when Crist was still a Republican.
Over the summer, Kendrick Meek (D) believed his path to victory was watching Rubio and Crist split the right, while he picked up Florida Democrats. That was the right strategy for the wrong candidate — Rubio is watching Crist and Meek split the sensible vote.
Nevertheless, Morgan’s remarks, if publicized, add just a little more incentive for Floridian Democrats before they head to the polls on Tuesday.
