Gov. Crist (R-FL) & State GOP Growing Further Apart

If the lastest Rasmussen poll for the 2010 Florida Senate race is any indication of Gov. Charlie Crist's support among rank and file Republicans in Florida the race is already over. State Senator Marco Rubio has hardly spent a dime and his growing support among Florida Republicans has finally propelled him past Gov. Crist with such speed and momentum its hard to imagine how the lanky, tanned, and white haired Republican Governor can regain his standing as the favored candidate. Rubio is the current darling of the Florida "tea bagger" movement and everything Crist does and says seems to play right into the hands of the tea party movers and shakers.

Marco Moulitsas of Daily Kos suggests that Crist's only option at this point is to switch parties. I'm not sure how that would set with some of the rank and file state Democrats considering some of the positions he's taken in the past with regard to education, health care reform and off shore drilling. The amazing thing as has already been pointed out is that Rubio hasn't really spent a dime while Crist finds himself down 12 points in Rasmussen and is trailing in the lastest Quinnipiac poll as well. If Crist does make the switch it would be interesting to see how the rank and file Democratic Party would react. At this point though, I'm not holding my breath on that switch over,....at least not yet.