CBS4

Independent Florida Governor Charlie Crist continues to lead the race to become the next U.S. Senator from the Sunshine State. In the latest Quinnipiac Poll, Crist leads GOP hopeful Marco Rubio by seven to eight points.

In a hypothetical general election between Crist, Rubio and Democratic frontrunner Kendrick Meek; Crist leads Rubio 39 to 32 percent with Meek picking up 16 percent of the vote. If Meek’s Democratic opponent Jeff Greene is in the general election, Crist leads Rubio 40 to 32 percent with Greene picking up 15 percent of the vote.

Crist’s lead is directly tied to his popularity amongst independent and Democratic voters.
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Among independents, Crist receives between 48 and 50 percent of the voters.

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BY AMY SHERMAN
MIAMI HERALD

COCONUT CREEK — When introducing the Republican turned independent Gov. Charlie Crist to a left-leaning crowd Wednesday, Democratic state Rep. Ari Porth joked that he had brought Crist some rugelah so he could have a taste of Broward.

But Crist didn’t need the little traditional Jewish pastry to help him bond with the gray-haired Star-of-David-wearing crowd. He knew his audience, talking up Israel and vowing to protect Social Security.

Several hundred seniors who gathered at the Wynmoor condo complex theater in Coconut Creek Wednesday, and clapped repeatedly for Crist, sometimes giving him a standing ovation.
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Many Democrats who said they plan to vote for Crist said they were turned off by the mudslinging of Meek and Greene.

“I can’t vote for either one of them,” said Ruth Weinstein, a retired bookeeper from New York. “I have been a registered Democrat all my life. I think this time I’m voting for Charlie Crist,” adding that she’d only consider voting for him now that he abandoned the Republican Party.

Selma Shubin, a retired credit manager, said she could relate to Crist’s independence. A lifelong Democrat, she now considers herself an independent voter.

“I am definitely voting for Gov. Crist for Senate. I think he has become more attuned to Floridians. … I vote for the person and what they stand for — not the party.”
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Asked after his speech why he’d brought his campaign to a predominantly Democratic stronghold Crist said: “because every vote counts … It’s almost like why not come here? These are Floridians.”

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BY GEORGE BENNET
PALM BEACH POST

COCONUT CREEK — Gov. Charlie Crist’s visit to a Democratic stronghold today was a reminder that Tuesday’s primary between Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene won’t be the final word on where the Democratic vote goes in Florida’s U.S. Senate race.

Republican-turned-independent Crist was warmly received by a crowd of about 500 at the heavily Democratic Wynmoor retirement community.

“He was wonderful. He was so impressive,” gushed Gertrude Weinberg, the president of the Wynmoor Democratic Club.
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Crist, introduced as “our courageous and independent governor” by Democratic state Rep. Ari Porth, talked up his recent vetoes of a teacher merit pay bill and an abortion ultrasound bill — both passed by the Republican legislature and opposed by Democrats.

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BY ANNE TATARIS
BAYNEWS9.COM

According to a Bay News 9/St. Petersburg Times statewide exclusive poll, Crist holds a slight edge over his opponents in every possible scenario.

The telephone survey of 602 registered voters was conducted August 6-10 for the St. Petersburg Times, Miami Herald, Bay News 9 and Central Florida News 13.

The poll was done by Ipsos Public Affairs, a Washington, D.C.-based independent, nonpartisan research company.

The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points overall, 6.4 percentage points for questions based only on Democrats and 5.9 for those based only on Republicans.

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Sign In Here to Follow Governor Crist on the Campaign Trail!

BY ERIC KUHN
CNN.COM

Political candidates crisscrossing their districts and states will be able to check in Wednesday morning for the first time on Gowalla, a location based social network that shares with followers a user’s location when they “check in” on a smart phone.

Independent Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, and Arizona Republican congressional candidate Jim Ward are the first to sign up for a new set of tools Gowalla has designed specifically for the campaign trail.

“An interesting historical record emerges when candidates are actively checking in at town halls, campaign events or dinners to shake hands,” CEO and co-founder of Gowalla Josh Williams told CNN. “There is definitely an authenticity that comes with that.”

The new features will allow campaigns to create events on Gowalla that supporters can check in to and receive a campaign stamp with the candidate’s logo. Usually when a user checks into a location, they receive a generic stamp for their virtual passport.

Constituents or volunteers will then be able to tweet out or show on Facebook their location and encourage their followers to also participate in the event.

Supporters will also be able to use Gowalla to register their own campaign events at a local level, without the candidate’s participation. When people check in, they will receive a political stamp showing they are at a rally, town hall, or fundraiser. There is even a ballot box stamp ready for Election Day.

The new features are not just limited to campaigns. Advocacy groups will also be able to use Gowalla to highlight their causes.

What’s the end game for these new features? Williams says he sees these early campaigns as “a dry run for bigger things to come in 2012.”

BY BILL RUTTY AND JEREMY WALLACE
THE LAKELAND LEDGER

Gov. Charlie Crist’s decision to leave the Republican Party and run for the U.S. Senate as an independent appears to be paying off, a new Florida Poll shows.
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Assuming Meek wins his primary and is in the race, Crist leads Rubio with 41 percent of the vote to Rubio’s 30 percent, with 12 percent going to Meek, according to the poll of 590 likely voters surveyed from July 24 to July 28. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The Florida Poll was conducted by New York Times-owned Florida newspapers, including The Ledger, and the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland.

…for voters like Sarah Cross of Sarasota, the move is being received more as an act of defiance to the political status quo. Cross, a Democrat, said Crist’s move showed political bravery at a time when most politicians just go along to get along. “…once he had done something like that to put his own future at risk, I thought he really is trying to do the right thing.”

Barbara Abowitt, a retired teacher who lives in Bradenton, had a similar view. She said Crist’s switch showed he was willing to stand up to his party, not just in leaving the Republicans but also in vetoing legislation such as Senate Bill 6, the teacher tenure bill.

“He was willing to buck his party,” said Abowitt, who calls herself an independent voter.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist leads the three-way race for the U.S. Senate seat with 37 percent, followed by 32 percent for Republican Marco Rubio and 17 percent for Jeff Greene, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. If U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek wins the Democratic primary, Crist’s lead would be 39 percent to 33 percent for Rubio and 13 percent for Meek.

In the Senate race, Crist’s lead is based on getting half the independent voters, about 20 percent of Republicans and about 40 percent of Democrats. His 53 – 37 percent voter approval of his job as Governor probably is a factor in his lead.

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POLITICO.COM

Rep. Darryl Rouson, an African-American Democratic state lawmaker who has been a friend of the Crist family for two decades, acknowledged he has taken flak for publicly backing the governor’s candidacy. But he also stressed that many black voters will quietly pull the lever for Crist without ever admitting it.

“Frankly, the Democratic party can’t scream to high heavens, because so many Democrats across the spectrum are also supporting Crist. So they have to be careful who they crucify. His record is not so bad among black voters. He’s appointed black judges. He just appointed two black members to the Public Service Commission. He put teeth in the Civil Rights Act as attorney general,” said Rouson.

“They’re not going to vote for Rubio or for a billionaire who bet on the housing crash,” he continued.

BY TOM JENSEN
PUBLIC POLICY POLLING

Thanks mostly to support from Democrats Charlie Crist is the leader in the Florida Senate race. In the most likely match up against Kendrick Meek he gets 35% to 29% for Marco Rubio and 17% for Meek. His lead expands with Jeff Greene as the Democratic nominee. In that scenario Crist gets 38% with Rubio still at 29% and Greene at only 13%.

Crist has become the de facto Democratic nominee and that’s where most of his support is coming from. He’s currently getting 44% of Democrats in the Meek match up, along with 40% of independents and 23% of Republicans. Crist has increased his support across the board since PPP last polled this race in early March. At that time, while still a Republican, he got just 27% to 34% for Rubio and 25% for Meek. He’s now doing 12 points better with Democrats, 5 points better with independents, and somewhat surprisingly even 5 points better with Republicans.

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BY PETER WALLSTEN
WALL STREET JOURNAL

“So many of the elected politicians in Washington seem to be shackled by the fear of a primary,” Mr. Crist said in an interview last week in this seaside city, where he attended a briefing on the effects of the Gulf oil spill. As an independent, Mr. Crist said, he is free to speak his mind without worrying about the most ideological voters.

“It’s liberating,” Mr. Crist said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I’m convinced it’s what the people want.”

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BY ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES
NEWSWEEK

Not long ago, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist seemed like a dead pol walking. Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio was thrashing him in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Crist’s 30-point lead had swung to a 30-point deficit; funding was drying up, as were endorsements.

“He’s deader than the day before yesterday,” former state GOP chair Tom Slade told the St. Petersburg Times in late April. “I don’t think there’s any way in the world he can rehabilitate himself.” Crist’s collegial centrism, the conventional wisdom held, had become anachronistic at a time when angry right-wing populism had overtaken his party.

Yet here we are, less than three months later: Crist, now running as an independent, leads Rubio by almost 5 points, and he’s ahead of potential Democratic opponents by much more, according to a Real Clear Politics average of polls.

The stunning reversal raises a possibility with wider implications: “In this national environment of very polarized politics,” says Daniel Smith, a political-science professor at the University of Florida, “voters may be interested in more moderate candidates.”

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Gov. Charlie Crist has $8.2 million in the bank for his independent Senate campaign, compared to $4.4 million for the leading Republican, Marco Rubio.

BY BETH REINHARD
MIAMI HERALD

Gov. Charlie Crist raised $1.8 million for his independent U.S. Senate campaign in the past three months, trailing Republican Marco Rubio but conserving millions of dollars more for the last few months of the campaign.

Rubio reported a monster-sized $4.5 million haul earlier this week — replacing Crist as Florida’s fundraising champ. Still, Crist’s latest donations were up from the $1.1 million he collected in the previous three months before he ditched the Republican Party.

“I couldn’t be more delighted. It’s uncharted territory,” said Crist, who leads the polls.

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BY JOHN WHITESIDES
REUTERS

Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Crist, who left the Republican Party to run as an independent after Rubio mounted a primary challenge against him, leads Rubio 35 percent to 28 percent. Democrat Kendrick Meek trails with 17 percent less than four months before the November election for the open Senate seat.

Crist holds a similar 34 to 29 percent edge over Rubio in a three-way race against Democrat Jeff Greene, who is locked in a tough party primary fight with Meek. The Florida primary will be held August 24.

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“Independents gain favor in governors’ races”
BY SUSAN PAGE
USA TODAY

“There are more signs of centrists stirring as national politics remain sharply polarized, a factor some candidates site for leaving behind of being pushed from their old allegiances. Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who became an independent candidate for the Senate … now leads the 3 way field”

“Democrats quietly line up in Crist’s corner”
BY WILLIAM MARCH
TAMPA TRIBUNE

“Charlie has his heart in the right place.”

“’Crist was a breath of fresh air for moderate Democrats and independents,’ said Lance Block, a prominent Tallahassee lawyer and party activist who recently co-sponsored a fundraiser for Crist.”

“Prominent Elected Broward Democrats helping Crist raise money”
BY ANTHONY MAN
SUN SENTINEL

“[Representative] Porth said his personal experience serving for four years in Tallahassee under Crist showed him the governor has qualities that would make him a good senator.”

“I believe in the Democratic Party and I believe iin what it stands for. I just believe Charlie Crist is the best candidate in this particular race. I hope that many people in the Democratic Party feel the same way and join me.” – Rep. Ari Porth

“Charlie Crist Picking Up Labor Support in Florida”
BY ERIC KLEEFELD
TALKING POINTS MEMO

“John Lindstrom, international representative for the Pipe Trades union in Florida and the Carolinas, told TPMDC that Crist’s record on key issues for the construction business, such as a recent jobs bill, made him the best way to go.”

BY WILLIAM MARCH
TAMPA TRIBUNE

TAMPA – You may never have heard of Peggy Land, unless you’re a Tampa Democratic political insider.

She’s a proverbial little old lady in tennis shoes, but along with her late husband John, she has also been a faithful Democratic political donor – some $20,000 to the party and its candidates over the last decade or so, plus more from fundraisers in their home, and none to Republicans.

So who is Land backing in the U.S. Senate race?

Gov. Charlie Crist, a former Republican running as a no-party candidate.

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