Crist says he could support a Democrat for Senate majority leader

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) would not say Sunday which party he'd caucus with if elected to the Senate.

Crist, who left the Republican Party this week to pursue an independent bid for the state's open Senate seat, said he would be open to voting for a Democrat as majority leader.

"I'll caucus with the people of Florida," Crist said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Crist had vowed until this past week to run as a Republican, but abandoned that bid after polls showed his conservative primary challenger, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, set to beat him in a Republican primary.

But the centrist governor said he might end up caucusing with neither party, unlike the Senate's two current independents, Sens. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.), both of whom caucus with Democrats.

"I might not vote for either one," Crist said of which party's member he might support as majority leader. "I'm going to vote for who I think is going to be best for the people of Florida. If is happens to be a Democrat, so be it. If it happens to be a Republican, so be it."

Crist framed his noncommittal response as being directed toward best representing Florida.

"When I'm an independent, I'm going to do what's I think is in the best interests of my people, and that's my decision," he explained. "And that's what I'm going to do for Floridians," Crist said And that's what people want, they don't want you to have to go with either Democrats or Republicans, you have to go with your gut and with your heart."