ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist renounced the Republican Party today, changing his voter registration to “no party affiliation” to match his remodeled U.S. Senate bid and spurning requests from donors who want their money back.
No law requires Crist to return money to disenchanted donors, but the GOP and prominent supporters of his Republican rival, Marco Rubio, have been urging him to do so.
Crist has $7.6 million in the bank, compared to Rubio with $3.9 million and Democratic front-runner Kendrick Meek with $3.7 million.
“People gave to a good cause, and we’re going to spend it on a good cause,” Crist said in the elections office in his hometown of St. Petersburg. “That’s why I’m going to keep it. It’s important to be able to get our message out and communicate with the people of Florida.”
In another reality check for a governor considered a potential GOP vice presidential contender in 2008, Crist’s party switch fell on the same day that Tampa was picked to host the 2012 Republican National Convention.
“Whether it was a Republican convention or a Democratic convention, it wouldn’t matter to me,” Crist said. “As a Floridian, I’m proud it’s in our state.”
In an April 30 interview with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough the day after he announced he would bow out of the GOP primary, Crist said he would “probably” give refunds. But today, a couple of hours before Crist officially changed his voter registration, campaign spokeswoman Michelle Todd said there would be no refunds.
“We have never made an official statement before,” she said. “It is now the official statement. They donated to the Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate campaign and it’s still the Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate campaign.”
Republican leaders and the Rubio campaign ripped Crist for flip-flopping.
“As Charlie Crist continually reinvents himself to do-say-be anything to win an election, he is now going back on his word to Floridians,” the Rubio campaign said. “It seems that Charlie Crist is only willing to listen to the people if they don’t want a refund from his campaign.”
Said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee: “Breaking this promise demonstrates an enormous lack of character, as Floridians are reminded that they simply cannot trust what you say.”
The Republican Party of Florida, which has turned against its former standard bearer, announced today that it had sold a portrait of Crist from its headquarters on eBay for $7,700. The party had spent $7,500 on portraits of Crist and his handpicked state party chairman, Jim Greer, who was ousted in February amid allegations of reckless spending.
The decision of the sitting governor of the fourth-largest state and lifelong Republican to run as an independent candidate is creating unexpected political undercurrents as his campaign rivals try to shore up support in their own parties.
Rubio has been scoffing at Crist’s conservative credentials for months and portraying him as a conspirator with the Democratic administration. Democratic front-runner Meek is re-releasing past statements in which Crist emphasized his commitment to the Republican Party.
“Republican Gov. Charlie Crist wants to escape his conservative record, but the record won’t escape him,” said Meek spokesman Adam Sharon.
Meek appears to be guarding against Crist peeling off his natural supporters. A recent Mason-Dixon poll showed the governor is more popular than Meek among Democratic voters.
Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish, a heavyweight in local Democratic politics, said she might throw her support behind Crist if, as expected, he rejects legislation that would require women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds.
“Not every Democrat loves Meek,” she said. “I don’t have to love every Democrat.”
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, who represents the heavily Democratic retirement condos in Northwest Broward, said those senior citizens “have never voted for a Republican in their life but at the same time I believe they like Charlie Crist. I don’t think they know Kendrick Meek.”
Ring also noted that former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, who was popular among Jewish Democrats, has not endorsed Meek. Wexler and Crist served together in the Florida Senate, worked on requiring voting machines to print receipts, and traveled to Israel together.
“He still holds sway in the district,” Ring said of Wexler.
Wexler, who works at the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, has not returned calls over the past two weeks.
Meek spokesman Sharon said in an e-mail that Wexler is “not in Congress and is in private life,” adding that his successor in Congress, Ted Deutch, has endorsed Meek. Sharon said Meek’s campaign had reached out to Wexler months ago, and “the reply was he is not really getting involved.”
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