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National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John
Cornyn (Texas) on Wednesday said efforts are ongoing to persuade Florida Gov.
Charlie Crist (R) to run for his state’s open Senate seat. “We’re going to continue to visit. It’s very early in the
game, but recruitment is important and the ability to be competitive on the
financial front is very important too. We’re working on both of those fronts,”
Cornyn told The Hill.
Few Florida politicians can match Crist’s popularity and
fundraising potential. The governor, a centrist who was elected in 2006,
has denied any interest in running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Mel
Martinez (R), but Cornyn, who has spoken to the governor about the race,
suggested Crist may be open to persuasion.
However, the NRSC chairman also noted that Republicans
are looking at other candidates.
“There are also a number of other people who might run.
I’ve talked to Marco Rubio. I’ve talked to Bill McCollum,” Cornyn stated.
Rubio is a former state House speaker and McCollum is
currently the state’s attorney general and a former U.S. House member. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who until 2006 was the only Democrat to be elected statewide in Florida for years, said he has talked to close friends of Crist who say the governor seems to be leaning towards running, but will wait until after the Florida Legislature adjourns in May. “I think Charlie is going to consider switching from governor to senator, but I don't think he's going to make a decision until after the annual legislative session,” Nelson said. Cornyn said he does not expect former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush (R) to change his mind regarding the race. Bush announced last week that
he would not seek the seat.
“He was interested in two things: Whether he could make a
difference here, and the impact on his family,” Cornyn said. “In the end, the
impact on his family is the thing that made him decide not to run. I guess he
felt like our quality of life as senators was not entirely wonderful.”Crist's impressive approval ratings and moderate politics are likely to soothe Florida Republicans who were stung by Bush's decision against running, Nelson said. "You have to assume an incumbent governor with high ratings will be a formidable candidate," he said. This article was updated at 6:53 p.m.
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