Romney urges Crist: Run Republican or drop out

Charlie Crist said Monday he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent.

That acknowledgement came just hours after Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, campaigning in Tampa for Crist's opponent, Marco Rubio, urged him not to.

"Over the next 10 days, I will thoughtfully and deliberately consider this decision and strive to come to a conclusion that I believe is in the best interest of the people of Florida,'' Crist told News Channel 8.

The revelation from the governor came the same day that his campaign killed a major ad buy in the Tampa and Orlando markets, where it was running TV commercials critical of Rubio.

Crist, also appearing earlier in Tampa Monday, told reporters it was because he wants to run a different ad emphasizing his record as governor. When asked if the ad would be a Republican or independent ad, Crist later told News Channel 8: "Both Democrats and Republicans work in the administration and it will be a Charlie Crist for Senate campaign.''

Giving up the time he bought, however, looks like a clear indication that Crist isn't focusing on an Aug. 24 primary against Rubio and instead is conserving his resources for a battle as a no-party candidate.

Polls suggest it would be virtually impossible for Crist to beat Rubio in a Republican primary but would have a shot at winning the Senate as a no-party, independent candidate.

Romney, former Massachusetts governor, is the third major contender from the 2008 GOP presidential race to endorse Rubio over Crist in the GOP Senate primary, along with Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee.

Sarah Palin, like Romney and Huckabee a potential 2012 presidential contender, signaled she favors Rubio.

In the 2008 Florida primary, Romney finished a close second to John McCain, an ally of Crist, who won the primary with the help of an endorsement from Crist. McCain backs Crist now.

Romney's endorsement is another in a series of indications that Rubio, who began his Senate candidacy last year as an insurgent challenging Crist, now is the establishment GOP candidate with Crist as the outsider.

Appearing with Rubio in Tampa on Monday, Romney urged Crist to drop out of the race rather than running as an independent if he decides he doesn't want to challenge Rubio in the primary.

"I respect Gov. Charlie Crist. I hope he stays in the Republican Party," Romney said, "or that he steps aside and gets behind Marco Rubio. I hope he does the right thing."

Romney added, "It would be an enormous mistake to do something that makes it more likely that Congressman Meek gets elected," referring to Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, Democratic front-runner in the Senate race.

Some experts think Meek would have a better chance in a three-way race, with Rubio the Republican nominee, Meek the Democratic nominee and Crist a no-party candidate.

One recent poll showed Crist narrowly winning such a race, with Rubio in second place and Meek not far behind.

Asked about the cancellation of his ad buy Monday, Crist said, "We have made a decision to try to put our record out and talk about the accomplishments of this administration. ... I think it's important for people to understand that I'm running for the Senate to try to bring some common sense to this situation."

A campaign spokeswoman refused to answer any other questions about the ad buy or the cancellation.

Industry sources and the Rubio campaign, however, confirmed that the ads began running in the Tampa and Orlando markets about 10 days ago and initially were to run through Sunday. That's five days before the April 30 qualifying deadline, when Crist must decide whether to run as a Republican or a no-party candidate.

The ads included an ethics attack on Rubio, associating him with indicted former state House Speaker Ray Sansom, formerly a close political ally.

The ad buy, coming at an unusual time in the race, suggested that Crist was seeking to find out whether he could regain his standing with Republican voters - "to test whether he can move voters in his direction to have a chance of winning the primary," said University of Miami political scientist
Christopher Mann, a former campaign operative.

"My guess is he's gotten his answer he wanted and there's no reason to keep spending the money," Mann said.

Adam Goodman, a Tampa-based Republican political media strategist, said canceling the ad buy is "a sign he's seriously considering his options. The advertising strategy would definitely be different as an independent from running in the Republican primary."

If Crist runs as an independent, Goodman said, "his fundraising will be more precarious. It might be a good move to conserve resources."

Rubio and Romney appeared before a standing-room only crowd of Republicans and journalists today along with former state Senate President Tom Lee, one of the most prominent Hillsborough County political figures backing Rubio.

Romney called Rubio "an American hero. If anybody wants to know what America stands for, just look at his life."

Rubio had no substantive comment on Crist's action Monday, saying he didn't know whether it indicated an independent run.

Asked whether a three-way race would enhance Meek's chances, as Romney appeared to suggest, he said, "I don't know."

"I haven't even thought about it," he said. "Gov. Crist will make his decision. I'm focused on my campaign."