I don't want to insult Florida Dems without cause

[BootinUp]

but are a bunch of them really going to vote for Crist if polls start showing Rubio walking to victory? Most recent poll shows Rubio +8 in a 3 way race.

It appears to me Crist has miscalculated.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/2010_florida_senate_race.html

[Winterblues]

1. I suspect if Rubio were to win that many Republicans would either

stay home or vote for Meek..I don't think it is going to be as bad as you may think..I think Meek will probably pull it out if Crist loses the primary.

[Fla_Democrat]

3. Crist has no primary

He went indy, cause he had already lost it, or lost any chance of winning it. :smoke:

[Winterblues]

7. This IS a Primary election

The General election is not until November.

[DrDan]

9. Crist is not on the ballot - therefore cannot lose

[Fla_Democrat]

10. Yes, it is, but

D primary: Green/Meek
R primary: Rubio
I "primary": Crist

Who exactly is going to knock Crist or Rubio out of the election in this primary vote? :shrug:

[LiberalAndProud]

4. I'm confused.

Isn't Crist runnning as a Independent? That makes it a three way race in the general, doesn't it?

[Winterblues]

5. Yes he is , but it is still a Primary

The General election is not until November

[DCBob]

8. Winterblues is confused.

[ChiciB1]

18. No Matter What You Want To Call It... Crist Will Be A Candidate In The

General! And IF Meek's numbers don't get better, and if he doesn't get some MoJo going, Democrats WILL VOTE FOR CRIST!!

I already know some Democrats who have told they are going to! I'm going to stop posting on Meeks threads for now, I keep saying the same thing over and over!

Crist IS NOT out nor is he floundering! Too many here would vote for Crist if Meek can't do better than he is now!! Greene blew it, Meek didn't take it away from him! That means a lot!!

[DrDan]

6. Crist is Indie - not a primary candidate

[wmbrew0206]

16. What the hell are you talking about?

Crist does not have a primary today as he is running as an independent.

There is no way Meek is going to win this race. I wish it were different but it is not.

Meek is not going to beat Rubio or Christ. Our best hope was Crist winning and hoping he would caucus with the Democrats. It appears that Meek that will draw more votes away from Crist than Greene, and will probably allow Rubio to win.

[Fla_Democrat]

2. Some may

some won't vote for Chain gang Charlie for dog catcher. We'll have to see how it pans out. :smoke:

[stray cat]

11. Democrats vote for independents - look at Gore versus Bush

[BootinUp]

12. lol, stop hi-jacking my thread! nt

[BootinUp]

14. What you really mean

is people vote for the better known candidate following the crowd like a herd.

[valerief]

13. All depends on the electronic voting machines calculations, not the voters. nt

[OmahaBlueDog]

15. Crist will win unless, by some bizarre set of events, Greene wins the Dem primary

With Greene, you'd essentially have three Republicans running, and then God only knows what will happen.

Kendrick Meek is a really good guy, but I think the among the population at large the perception is that he can't win. That leaves Crist, who would be like Lieberman, redux, or Rubio, who would be like Mussolini, redux. Most voters will pick Crist, I suspect.

[tritsofme]

19. Most handicappers say that a Greene win would actually be the best case scenario for Crist.

Crist has generally been polling better when Greene is in the race as opposed to Meek.

National Democrats would feel no real obligation toward Greene and would either outright get behind Crist or at least implicitly support him.

This same group would have a lot harder time ditching Meek, who as an African American and current congressman has a much larger natural constituency in the state as opposed to Greene.

Crist needs Democratic votes to win the race, and Meek would deny him the type of support among blacks and other core Democratic groups he would need to win. Meek clearly has no chance in the general, and I fear Rubio may squeak by in a 3 way race.

[OmahaBlueDog]

20. The party might offer Meek a deal to drop out

He could get some nice committee assignments in the House, or possibly a cabinet appointment. He's got plenty of potential - he's just in the wrong race at the wrong time.

However, they will wait to see if any bombshells come out of the Rubio campaign against Crist, and will probably also wait to see if Meek suddenly starts gaining support. That said, if we get to the third week of October, and the polls show Rubio up 5 points or more, I think the party will get Meek to step aside.

[LAGC]

21. I agree with your assessment.

Meek would be preferred, but we can't allow Rubio to win.

[LWolf]

17. Then don't. nt