Crist Is Popular Among Florida Republicans, Too

The knock on Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), who today announced that he's running for Senate in 2010, is that he's governing like a Democrat and is therefore unpopular with Republican primary voters. CW is just wrong in this case; the best Florida polling shows that Republicans approve of Crist's job performance, they like him, and they'd support him for Senate.  Crist does have a problem with the conservative establishment in Florida, which shows that you can't conflate the establishment with the base, a crime of which journalists are frequently guilty. So far, Crist is showing no signs that he will pander to the right in his Senate run, hoping that outside pressure on Speaker Marco Rubio will prevent Rubio from becoming a serious challenger to Crist. That said, there are plenty of Florida Republican powerbrokers who dislike Crist, including the former governor, Jeb Bush.  If Bush campaigns for Rubio, that'll raise eyebrows. He's more likely to do so privately, though, not wanting to alienate or forstall the inevitable.