The agenda for a special legislative session called last week by Senate candidate and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) may get even more politically charged. 

Crist, who has been under fire from Democrats and Republicans in the state over the session, called the session to debate a constitutional amendment that would permanently ban oil drilling off Florida’s coast. Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio is among those who have called Crist’s move political.      

But now, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rick Scott is calling on the state legislature to use the special session to pass an “Arizona style” immigration law.

“Taxpayers are on the hook to pay for the special session,” Scott said in a statement Monday. “Floridians should at least get some return on their investment with the passage of meaningful legislation, and that is why I am urging the legislature to pass an Arizona style immigration law during this special session.”

The special session is slated for July 20-23.

Scott, who is largely self-funding his bid for governor, is locked in primary with state Attorney General Bill McCollum. 

The interim senator appointed by Charlie Crist is aggressively backing the Florida governor’s rival in the Senate race.

Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), who was once Crist’s chief of staff, formally endorsed Republican Marco Rubio on Monday.

LeMieux told the conservative blog The Shark Tank that he was “disappointed” in Crist’s decision to leave the GOP primary. “I’m supporting Marco Rubio, I’m a Republican,” he said. “We need folks who are going to be strong conservative voices and Marco’s going to do that.”

When Crist announced his decision to run as an independent in April, LeMieux said he would “support our Republican nominee.” But he had remained relatively quiet about his support for Rubio until now.

Rubio said LeMieux has been “very helpful.”

“Sen. LeMieux’s been very helpful to us, he’s contributed to us from his PAC and has offered his assistance and we’re grateful for that,” he said on a conference call with reporters.

Rubio also announced on Monday that he raised more than $4.5 million in the second quarter.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has agreed to three debates with Republican primary challenger Joe Miller during the month of August. 

The candidates will meet on Aug. 10, 11 and 18. The Republican primary will be held on Aug. 24.

Attorney Joe Miller’s campaign received a boost last month from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has a history of political bad blood with both Sen. Murkowski and her father, former Gov. Frank Murkowski.  

Palin defeated Gov. Murkowski in a Republican primary in 2006, and has been publicly critical of Sen. Murkowski. Palin’s political action committee has given $5,000 to Miller’s campaign.   

Miller also won the backing of the Tea Party Express in June.

Miller has hit Murkowski on her search for a compromise in the energy bill, accusing the senator of trying to cut a deal with the White House. 

Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is considered a key vote on the energy bill and has been heavily courted by Senate Democrats. But the senator has said she thinks the only way to reach 60 votes is to move forward on a bill without the cap-and-trade provision favored by the White House.

Republican Marco Rubio's campaign on Monday said the Florida Senate candidate raised more than $4.5 million in the second quarter.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is getting pushed by major Republican donors to make a GOP presidential bid.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) raised more than $1.9 million for his reelection bid this quarter. The first-term incumbent now has $6.3 million in cash on hand, according to his campaign.

"Our campaign is organized with strong support in every county, and we will continue to grow our grassroots network across the state in the coming months," Mark Braden, Burr's deputy campaign manager, said in a statement. 

Burr was once thought to be in danger of losing his job, but his prospects have improved as the Democrats fought through a protracted primary. He faces a challenge from Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D), who was the surprise winner of the June runoff against former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D). 

Marshall had less than $200,000 banked as of June 2. She has yet to release her second-quarter fundraising numbers. 

Burr spent more than $12 million defeating Democrat Erskine Bowles in 2004.

In an interview over the weekend with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle said some of her political advisers have suggested she look more serious for TV interviews.   

Angle is trying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). 

Although Angle said she has softened some of her rhetoric on the trail, she denied her campaign has had a political makeover. 

"I'm not made over," Angle told the LVRJ. "There are people who would like to see different things come out of me, but I am who I am." From the paper:   

"Some people do say, 'Don't smile so much,'" Angle said, breaking out into laughter. "I don't know how to do that. This is me."

More seriously, Angle's critics have accused the Tea Party favorite of undergoing a political makeover since her June 8 GOP primary victory to appeal to moderates and independents in the general election. 

For example, she relaunched her website after scrubbing it of her more controversial positions, such as eliminating the Education Department and developing Yucca Mountain as a nuclear reprocessing site. The Reid campaign has accused her of trying to hide from her old positions.

Angle, during a 10-minute interview on the sidelines of the Nevada Republican Party Convention, said she still believes in those things, which she says will help cut federal spending and create jobs.

On the hiring of Republican media consultant John Brabender, Angle said it only came after receiving assurances that he wouldn't try to change her — the same approach Brabender said he took with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.):

"John told me, 'What I realized about Tom is I have to let Tom be Tom,' and we said, 'Bingo, you're our man,'" Angle said. "So the person we brought on board was a person who said, 'I'm going to let Sharron Angle be Sharron Angle.'"

Still, Angle acknowledged she has toned down her words after being pummeled for saying things such as wanting to "take out" Harry Reid in the same breath that she mentions that people angry at government have "Second Amendment remedies" available, or the right to bear arms.

"I think we retake the House, as Mr. Gibbs suggested yesterday from the White House," says second-ranking House Republican.

Washington state Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser publicly advocated for Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to keep his job at an event Sunday in Tacoma.

"I don't think there's any support for changing horses in midstream," Esser said, according to the Spokesman-Review.

Steele was in town for a fundraiser, where he sought to clarify his recent statement that Afghanistan was "a war of Obama's choosing."

"I am 1,000 percent for victory for our men and women in the service," said Steele. "We cannot leave them on the battlefield."

He continued, "This party stands with them. I stand with them. Period. No excuses. No exceptions."

Esser praised Steele for doing a good job clarifying his remarks and said he doubted the chairman was at risk of losing his job.

Meanwhile, several Republicans, including two-time gubernatorial nominee Dino Rossi, are competing in the party's Senate primary. Steele warned against nursing hard feelings after the August 17 vote.

"Whatever candidates they may have supported in the primary doesn't matter on general election day," he said.