Insiders on Track in Florida
A new poll from Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters finds Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has seized a 9 percentage-point lead over former healthcare executive Rick Scott in the Republican governor's race, while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek holds a 7 percentage-point lead in the Democratic race for the US Senate over billionaire investor Jeff Greene. In the last Quinnipiac poll back in late July, both McCollum and Meek trailed by double digits in their races. More from the Miami Herald.

The Florida Conundrum
Chris Cillizza has more on the conundrum facing Florida Democrats should Kendrick Meek pull out a win in the primary.

The worst kept secret in Florida Democratic politics: most party strategists don't believe Meek can win a general election but they do think he can siphon enough traditionally Democratic votes away from Crist to hand the race to former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Democrats have semi-openly admitted that with Greene as the party's nominee, they would feel little remorse in casting a vote for Crist -- believing that the billionaire businessman is not fit to serve in the Senate. The same cannot be said of Meek.

One Democratic aide who has worked extensively in the state summed up the conventional wisdom thusly: "[We] clearly cannot publicly support Crist but if Meek is the nominee [we] know he not only has no shot at winning statewide."

The Mason-Dixon poll released earlier this week suggests those fears may be well founded. With Greene as the Democratic nominee, Crist takes 39 percent to Rubio's 38 percent. (Greene clocks in at just 12 percent.) With Meek as the party standard-bearer, Rubio takes 38 percent to 33 percent for Crist and 18 percent for the Miami Congressman.

Combine Crist's clear signals that he would caucus on the Democratic with the widely-held belief among Florida strategists that Meek can't win a general election and you begin to understand the political cross-pressures going around the Sunshine State these days.

Whether Meek is electable or not, I cannot say at this time but defeating Marco Rubio is of the utmost importance. At any rate, the presence of Charlie Crist in the race makes the Florida Senate race this fall the nation's most intriguing one.

There's more...

Insiders on Track in Florida
A new poll from Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters finds Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has seized a 9 percentage-point lead over former healthcare executive Rick Scott in the Republican governor's race, while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek holds a 7 percentage-point lead in the Democratic race for the US Senate over billionaire investor Jeff Greene. In the last Quinnipiac poll back in late July, both McCollum and Meek trailed by double digits in their races. More from the Miami Herald.

The Florida Conundrum
Chris Cillizza has more on the conundrum facing Florida Democrats should Kendrick Meek pull out a win in the primary.

The worst kept secret in Florida Democratic politics: most party strategists don't believe Meek can win a general election but they do think he can siphon enough traditionally Democratic votes away from Crist to hand the race to former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Democrats have semi-openly admitted that with Greene as the party's nominee, they would feel little remorse in casting a vote for Crist -- believing that the billionaire businessman is not fit to serve in the Senate. The same cannot be said of Meek.

One Democratic aide who has worked extensively in the state summed up the conventional wisdom thusly: "[We] clearly cannot publicly support Crist but if Meek is the nominee [we] know he not only has no shot at winning statewide."

The Mason-Dixon poll released earlier this week suggests those fears may be well founded. With Greene as the Democratic nominee, Crist takes 39 percent to Rubio's 38 percent. (Greene clocks in at just 12 percent.) With Meek as the party standard-bearer, Rubio takes 38 percent to 33 percent for Crist and 18 percent for the Miami Congressman.

Combine Crist's clear signals that he would caucus on the Democratic with the widely-held belief among Florida strategists that Meek can't win a general election and you begin to understand the political cross-pressures going around the Sunshine State these days.

Whether Meek is electable or not, I cannot say at this time but defeating Marco Rubio is of the utmost importance. At any rate, the presence of Charlie Crist in the race makes the Florida Senate race this fall the nation's most intriguing one.

There's more...

Insiders on Track in Florida
A new poll from Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters finds Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has seized a 9 percentage-point lead over former healthcare executive Rick Scott in the Republican governor's race, while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek holds a 7 percentage-point lead in the Democratic race for the US Senate over billionaire investor Jeff Greene. In the last Quinnipiac poll back in late July, both McCollum and Meek trailed by double digits in their races. More from the Miami Herald.

The Florida Conundrum
Chris Cillizza has more on the conundrum facing Florida Democrats should Kendrick Meek pull out a win in the primary.

The worst kept secret in Florida Democratic politics: most party strategists don't believe Meek can win a general election but they do think he can siphon enough traditionally Democratic votes away from Crist to hand the race to former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Democrats have semi-openly admitted that with Greene as the party's nominee, they would feel little remorse in casting a vote for Crist -- believing that the billionaire businessman is not fit to serve in the Senate. The same cannot be said of Meek.

One Democratic aide who has worked extensively in the state summed up the conventional wisdom thusly: "[We] clearly cannot publicly support Crist but if Meek is the nominee [we] know he not only has no shot at winning statewide."

The Mason-Dixon poll released earlier this week suggests those fears may be well founded. With Greene as the Democratic nominee, Crist takes 39 percent to Rubio's 38 percent. (Greene clocks in at just 12 percent.) With Meek as the party standard-bearer, Rubio takes 38 percent to 33 percent for Crist and 18 percent for the Miami Congressman.

Combine Crist's clear signals that he would caucus on the Democratic with the widely-held belief among Florida strategists that Meek can't win a general election and you begin to understand the political cross-pressures going around the Sunshine State these days.

Whether Meek is electable or not, I cannot say at this time but defeating Marco Rubio is of the utmost importance. At any rate, the presence of Charlie Crist in the race makes the Florida Senate race this fall the nation's most intriguing one.

There's more...

Insiders on Track in Florida
A new poll from Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters finds Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has seized a 9 percentage-point lead over former healthcare executive Rick Scott in the Republican governor's race, while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek holds a 7 percentage-point lead in the Democratic race for the US Senate over billionaire investor Jeff Greene. In the last Quinnipiac poll back in late July, both McCollum and Meek trailed by double digits in their races. More from the Miami Herald.

The Florida Conundrum
Chris Cillizza has more on the conundrum facing Florida Democrats should Kendrick Meek pull out a win in the primary.

The worst kept secret in Florida Democratic politics: most party strategists don't believe Meek can win a general election but they do think he can siphon enough traditionally Democratic votes away from Crist to hand the race to former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Democrats have semi-openly admitted that with Greene as the party's nominee, they would feel little remorse in casting a vote for Crist -- believing that the billionaire businessman is not fit to serve in the Senate. The same cannot be said of Meek.

One Democratic aide who has worked extensively in the state summed up the conventional wisdom thusly: "[We] clearly cannot publicly support Crist but if Meek is the nominee [we] know he not only has no shot at winning statewide."

The Mason-Dixon poll released earlier this week suggests those fears may be well founded. With Greene as the Democratic nominee, Crist takes 39 percent to Rubio's 38 percent. (Greene clocks in at just 12 percent.) With Meek as the party standard-bearer, Rubio takes 38 percent to 33 percent for Crist and 18 percent for the Miami Congressman.

Combine Crist's clear signals that he would caucus on the Democratic with the widely-held belief among Florida strategists that Meek can't win a general election and you begin to understand the political cross-pressures going around the Sunshine State these days.

Whether Meek is electable or not, I cannot say at this time but defeating Marco Rubio is of the utmost importance. At any rate, the presence of Charlie Crist in the race makes the Florida Senate race this fall the nation's most intriguing one.

There's more...

Insiders on Track in Florida
A new poll from Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters finds Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has seized a 9 percentage-point lead over former healthcare executive Rick Scott in the Republican governor's race, while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek holds a 7 percentage-point lead in the Democratic race for the US Senate over billionaire investor Jeff Greene. In the last Quinnipiac poll back in late July, both McCollum and Meek trailed by double digits in their races. More from the Miami Herald.

The Florida Conundrum
Chris Cillizza has more on the conundrum facing Florida Democrats should Kendrick Meek pull out a win in the primary.

The worst kept secret in Florida Democratic politics: most party strategists don't believe Meek can win a general election but they do think he can siphon enough traditionally Democratic votes away from Crist to hand the race to former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Democrats have semi-openly admitted that with Greene as the party's nominee, they would feel little remorse in casting a vote for Crist -- believing that the billionaire businessman is not fit to serve in the Senate. The same cannot be said of Meek.

One Democratic aide who has worked extensively in the state summed up the conventional wisdom thusly: "[We] clearly cannot publicly support Crist but if Meek is the nominee [we] know he not only has no shot at winning statewide."

The Mason-Dixon poll released earlier this week suggests those fears may be well founded. With Greene as the Democratic nominee, Crist takes 39 percent to Rubio's 38 percent. (Greene clocks in at just 12 percent.) With Meek as the party standard-bearer, Rubio takes 38 percent to 33 percent for Crist and 18 percent for the Miami Congressman.

Combine Crist's clear signals that he would caucus on the Democratic with the widely-held belief among Florida strategists that Meek can't win a general election and you begin to understand the political cross-pressures going around the Sunshine State these days.

Whether Meek is electable or not, I cannot say at this time but defeating Marco Rubio is of the utmost importance. At any rate, the presence of Charlie Crist in the race makes the Florida Senate race this fall the nation's most intriguing one.

There's more...