Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), who is trailing in the polls for his Republican primary for Senate, has announced that he will decide on Thursday whether he will bolt the GOP and run as an independent.
This is one day earlier than when Crist would legally have to make his decision, at the Friday filing deadline on Friday. From the Associated Press report: “Asked what’s changed that’s making him consider an independent run, Crist quietly responded that he didn’t know.”
If Crist doesn’t know why he might be considering an independent run, here are some quick clues. The TPM Poll Average for the Republican primary gives Marco Rubio a lead of 59.1%-27.9% over Crist, the opposite of where things were a year ago. Meanwhile, the poll average for a three-way general election only gives Rubio a narrow lead with 33.8% of the vote, followed by an independent Crist at 27.8%, and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek with 22.5%.
