Crist Watch 2010

Jillian Bandes | April 19, 2010 1:33 PM

A leaked email from the National Republican Senatorial Committee says that there is a "zero percent chance" Florida Governor Charlie Crist will NOT drop out of the Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat and run as an independent. In other words, the main Republican campaign arm for the U.S. Senate claims Crist is no longer a player in the Republican Party in Florida.

That news would seem to buttress claims from the Rubio camp that the Governor is indeed dropping out of the primary because Crist has canceled his advertising purchases for television spots over the next few weeks. Dropping television spots doesn't automatically mean that Crist is switching parties, but combined with the NRSC email, it seems like a pretty safe bet. Crist needs every minute of air time he can get to reclaim his position as frontrunner against Rubio.

It's clear that Crist needs to do something. Rubio is beating him by 23-30 points -- a real embarrassment for Crist, who had the approval of nearly 70 percent of Florida Republicans just one year ago.