Fla. governor goes from GOP rising star to possible defector

Abstract

Polls show Crist already trailing badly in the Senate GOP primary, and he further alienated many powerful Republican and business interests Thursday by vetoing a contentious bill that would have made it easier to fire teachers and linked their pay to student test scores.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was once a rapidly rising Republican star, a potential running mate for John McCain, a man with a bright political future who moved from an obscure state post to education commissioner, attorney general and governor -- all within six years.

Now it's becoming increasingly likely that Crist's dream of becoming a U.S. senator will compel him to bolt from the GOP, the party that once nurtured him but has moved too far right for even a political chameleon like him to handle.

Polls show Crist already trailing badly in the Senate GOP primary, and he further alienated many powerful Republican and business interests Thursday by vetoing a contentious bill that would have made it easier to fire teachers and linked their pay to student test scores. At the same time, he scored points with the influential teachers union and other traditionally Democratic constituents.

"It has nothing to do with politics at all," Crist said. "It has everything to do with children."

The veto may at least partly reflect the governor's only real hope -- to position himself as a relatively moderate alternative to former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the conservative Republican, and Kendrick Meek, the likely Democratic nominee in November's general election.

The three are vying to succeed Republican Mel Martinez, who left before his term ended. Crist appointed his former chief of staff, George LeMieux, to fill the seat temporarily.

"The biggest threat to Crist's political career is the Republican primary," said Peter Brown, director of the Quinnipiac University poll.

Crist must decide by April 30 whether he will remain in the Republican primary or take his chances as an independent, which Brown said appears to be his best bet.

He cannot switch after the Aug. 24 primary, so his political future hinges on whatever decision he makes about running as an independent in the coming weeks.

A Quinnipiac poll of 1,250 registered voters released Thursday shows that in a three-way race, Crist would get 32% of the vote, compared with 30% for Rubio and 24% for Meek. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Crist has sent mixed signals about his plans, with his campaign manager slamming the door on an independent run just last week.