More and more Democrats just keep lining up behind Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) in the Florida Senate race.
Crist, who left the Republican Party to run for Senate as an independent, is picking up momentum, the Tampa Tribune reports –Â that is, momentum in gaining Democratic donors that would have otherwise gone to Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Kendrick Meek. And a key reason for this is a perception that only Crist can beat Republican Marco Rubio.
Among the latest examples, the paper reports, is Democratic donor Peggy Land of Tampa, who said: “I don’t think there’s really any other choice. I don’t think Kendrick is going to be able to do much better than he’s doing now.” The paper lists other Democrats in the Tampa area who are backing Crist, including a city council member, a former mayor, and some local political activists.
As we’ve previously noted, Crist has been picking up support from Democrats in opinion polls, has gained some Democratic staffers, and has also made inroads with organized labor.
Outside of the Tampa area, the paper says, there is Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish, a Democratic official who hosted a fundraiser for Crist. “All we’re doing is saying out loud what everyone else is whispering about,” Parrish said, saying that Meek and his Democratic primary rival, businessman Jeff Greene, can’t beat Rubio. “So if we don’t unite on someone, we’ll send a right-wing ultra-conservative to Washington.”
When asked for comment on this article, the Meek campaign pointed us to their lengthy list of Democratic endorsements.
The TPM Poll Average gives Crist a lead with 38.2%, Rubio second with 33.7%, and Meek at 14.5%. With Jeff Greene as a hypothetical Democratic nominee, Crist has 40.5%, Rubio 35.0%, and Greene 13.5%.
