Politics
Weekly Roundup: Don't Quit Your Day Job, Gov
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
Around the State
The people who elected the self-proclaimed “people’s governor” appeared this week to tell Gov. Charlie Crist that he shouldn’t quit his day job.
But Crist has already handed in his walking papers to run for the U.S. Senate, and a poll released this week found him in danger of getting them handed to him when voters decide his three-way with former House Speaker Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek next month.
The Quinnipiac poll showed Crist winning 46 percent of Democrats, which likely would have made the governor do jumping jacks when he announced his independent bid for the U.S. Senate in April. But the same poll found Marco Rubio doing almost as well with no-party affiliation voters as the independent Crist, which would have blown everyone else’s socks off in the spring.
Basically splitting a constituency virtually everyone assumed would mostly go to Crist boosted the former House speaker to a 46 to 33 to 18 percent lead overall over Crist and Meek.
Just 43 percent of Democrats said they would vote for Meek, the longtime Democrat. With that in mind, Meek, who sought to win back Democratic support from Crist by reminding voters of Crist's past with the Republican Party, launched a television ad with Crist saying the word “conservative” as often as the Miami congressman’s campaign could fit into a 30-second commercial.
The Quinnipiac poll suggested that there may not be enough seconds left for Meek to catch up, or for that matter, minutes, hours or Election Days. Seventy-eight percent of the poll's 1,151 respondents said their mind was made up. Just 3 percent said they were undecided.
However, voters have apparently decided that Crist is doing a good job as governor, even as he concentrates mostly on the campaign for Senate -- even Democrats. Fifty one percent overall approved of Crist's job performance, including 72 percent of Democrats, a much larger share than the percentage that said they would vote for him.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who remains popular himself, especially among conservative-leaning voters, took the opportunity to needle his successor. Bush noted the difference between Crist's approval ratings and his position in Senate polls in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show, saying “popularity's a fleeting thing,"
Democrats made the difficult argument that the poll showed the third-place-running Meek was in better position to beat Rubio than Crist, if only the Democrats who are keeping Crist in second place would support Meek instead.
“… As long as they continue to believe that Crist can win, which the Quinnipiac poll shows he can't, a vote for Crist is a vote for Rubio," Democrat strategist Steve Schale said. "It's time to realize that getting behind Meek -- I know it's not an easy case to make -- is still more viable than thinking Crist can win.”
Crist loyalists, of which there are not nearly as many as there used to be, were similarly buoyed by the numbers, despite the fact that he’s losing.
"People think I'm off the wall, but his popularity as governor continues to grow and that tells me something," Sen. Mike Fasano said. "Voters will turn to him in the end, because he's someone they can trust, he's humble, and he's in it because he wants to serve."
The problem for Crist at the moment, however, is that voters seemingly want him to serve as governor, not U.S. senator.
A SINKING FEELING IN THE GOV’S RACE?
Charlie Crist was not the only Florida politician who made a U-turn in poll position this week. The Democratic candidate to replace him, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, found herself trailing Republican Rick Scott, who she led in several recent polls.
Sink, who is vying to become Florida's first female governor, was also trailing with a constituency pundits figured she would do well with: women. Sink narrowly trailed Scott among women voters, 47 to 43 percent.
But the biggest problem Sink appeared to be facing in the polls this week was a man – the one who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.
Fifty-six percent of Floridians disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, the survey showed. If that improved, so would Sink’s standing in the governor’s race, Quinnipiac Polling Director Peter Brown said.
But Crist has already handed in his walking papers to run for the U.S. Senate, and a poll released this week found him in danger of getting them handed to him when voters decide his three-way with former House Speaker Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek next month.
The Quinnipiac poll showed Crist winning 46 percent of Democrats, which likely would have made the governor do jumping jacks when he announced his independent bid for the U.S. Senate in April. But the same poll found Marco Rubio doing almost as well with no-party affiliation voters as the independent Crist, which would have blown everyone else’s socks off in the spring.
Basically splitting a constituency virtually everyone assumed would mostly go to Crist boosted the former House speaker to a 46 to 33 to 18 percent lead overall over Crist and Meek.
Just 43 percent of Democrats said they would vote for Meek, the longtime Democrat. With that in mind, Meek, who sought to win back Democratic support from Crist by reminding voters of Crist's past with the Republican Party, launched a television ad with Crist saying the word “conservative” as often as the Miami congressman’s campaign could fit into a 30-second commercial.
The Quinnipiac poll suggested that there may not be enough seconds left for Meek to catch up, or for that matter, minutes, hours or Election Days. Seventy-eight percent of the poll's 1,151 respondents said their mind was made up. Just 3 percent said they were undecided.
However, voters have apparently decided that Crist is doing a good job as governor, even as he concentrates mostly on the campaign for Senate -- even Democrats. Fifty one percent overall approved of Crist's job performance, including 72 percent of Democrats, a much larger share than the percentage that said they would vote for him.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who remains popular himself, especially among conservative-leaning voters, took the opportunity to needle his successor. Bush noted the difference between Crist's approval ratings and his position in Senate polls in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show, saying “popularity's a fleeting thing,"
Democrats made the difficult argument that the poll showed the third-place-running Meek was in better position to beat Rubio than Crist, if only the Democrats who are keeping Crist in second place would support Meek instead.
“… As long as they continue to believe that Crist can win, which the Quinnipiac poll shows he can't, a vote for Crist is a vote for Rubio," Democrat strategist Steve Schale said. "It's time to realize that getting behind Meek -- I know it's not an easy case to make -- is still more viable than thinking Crist can win.”
Crist loyalists, of which there are not nearly as many as there used to be, were similarly buoyed by the numbers, despite the fact that he’s losing.
"People think I'm off the wall, but his popularity as governor continues to grow and that tells me something," Sen. Mike Fasano said. "Voters will turn to him in the end, because he's someone they can trust, he's humble, and he's in it because he wants to serve."
The problem for Crist at the moment, however, is that voters seemingly want him to serve as governor, not U.S. senator.
A SINKING FEELING IN THE GOV’S RACE?
Charlie Crist was not the only Florida politician who made a U-turn in poll position this week. The Democratic candidate to replace him, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, found herself trailing Republican Rick Scott, who she led in several recent polls.
Sink, who is vying to become Florida's first female governor, was also trailing with a constituency pundits figured she would do well with: women. Sink narrowly trailed Scott among women voters, 47 to 43 percent.
But the biggest problem Sink appeared to be facing in the polls this week was a man – the one who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.
Fifty-six percent of Floridians disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, the survey showed. If that improved, so would Sink’s standing in the governor’s race, Quinnipiac Polling Director Peter Brown said.
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