Top of the ballot: No good options for Charlie Crist

TOP OF THE BALLOT TODAY: No good options for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, and staying in the GOP primary isn't even one of them; Colorado Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff (D) raises less than $400k; Sen. Cornyn pressures Dino Rossi on Washington Senate race.

Why Crist drops out/why he goes indy

It has become abundantly clear that there is no future for Charlie Crist in the 2010 Florida GOP Senate primary. The question now is whether he sees a future for himself in the GOP at all.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) sent a letter to supporters Monday stating that it is convinced Crist, who it has endorsed, will not run in the GOP primary this year. In the face of that, it urges supporters to tell him to drop out altogether and not pursue a potential vote-splitting independent bid.

If Crist drops out and runs as an independent, he can basically say goodbye to ever running and winning as a Republican again. If he still has dreams to be president, however, look for him to drop out and eye a 2012 bid against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

There aren’t many good options for Crist at this point, though. His Senate primary campaign has fallen farther and more dramatically than just about any in recent memory. He basically finds himself a man without a party, and it’s difficult to see where he fits into the GOP fold in the near future.

Former state House speaker Marco Rubio (R) is a very capable candidate, but a lot of this is simply about Charlie Crist. Are two years – and, really, it’s more like one year before he would have to launch another campaign – going to be enough for the GOP to welcome Crist back into the fold for another try at the Senate? Unless they have no other options, it’s doubtful.

The good thing for Crist is that he still has 10 days to make up his mind. It’s also relatively easy for him to make the switch. While Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) had to collect signatures for a possible independent bid before his 2006 primary, Crist merely has to pay a filing fee.

Romanoff still cash-poor

Speaking of primaries – Andrew Romanoff (D) still isn’t raising big money to take on Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
The former state House speaker delayed announcing his totals, which is never a good sign, and wound up raising only slightly more ($386,000) than he put together last quarter ($337,000).

Romanoff had hoped for a bump from his precinct caucus victory in March, but he doesn’t appear to have gotten much of one. If he could only raise a little more money, this would be a primary that lots more people are talking about.

Cornyn pressuring Rossi

My colleague J. Taylor Rushing reports that National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman John Cornyn is pressuring former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to make up his mind about running for Senate in Washington state.

Rossi, put simply, is in no hurry. And the fact that he can wait till June to file for Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) means time is on side. The GOP doesn’t have much of an alternative, and he knows that. He also thinks he can tap all of his old donors and raise money very quickly if he needs to.

All of that might be true, but there’s something to be said for having fire in the belly. Waiting until five months before the election to launch a campaign doesn’t signal much fire. And that might be what Republicans are really concerned about.

After former GOP governors passed on campaigns in Wisconsin and New York recently, Rossi is the last big prize on the GOP map.

Other updates

-With businessman Matt Doheny (R) picking up steam in New York’s 23rd district, we could be headed for another three-way race.

-The American Future Fund is launching a $1 million ad campaign against former Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) in his GOP Senate primary.

-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is tacking right on illegal immigration, just in time for his primary with former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.).