Crist donors haven't run to Rubio

Early donors to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's Senate campaign haven't switched to Republican Marco Rubio.

As of June 30, only five of Crist's contributors who gave him more than $200 as a GOP candidate gave a similar amount to Rubio, according to an analysis by the Orlando Sentinel.

The findings seem to throw cold water on the idea that Republicans who backed Crist when he was running in their party's primary would abandon him for Rubio. The governor announced at the end of April his intention to run as an independent.

The paper did point to some troubling signs for Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek. Crist and the congressman shared 97 contributors to their campaigns as of June 30, their most recent Federal Election Commission report.

Some observers believe Democrats are hedging their bets and will try to recruit Crist into their caucus if he wins. Earlier this month, Democratic pollster Mark Penn hosted a fundraiser for Crist at his Washington home.