A 60-Day Senate Republican Primary

Governer Crist’s final State of the State address was more than just his last annual address to the State legislature; it was the first speech of a 60-day U.S. Senate campaign.  Sixty days that will determine the Republican nominee.

For the next two months, Crist has something Marco Rubio doesn’t have – a bully pulpit in Tallahassee.  And in his State of the State, he started to use it.

Almost twenty points down in some polls, Crist must do everything right to map a course to the general election.  And this speech made it clear he now sees his path does not include tea parties.

"Our practical solutions will serve only to inflame extremists… conviction must be tempered with practicality and pragmatism.”

That’s not tea party talk.

“We must accept being in the arena means enduring hecklers in the cheap seats where conviction abounds."

Not much question who he’s talking about here.

And so Crist’s 60-day campaign to make this Senate contest a real horserace began last night ,and whether or not he gains ground will depend on how he navigates his last legislative session as Governor.  Unlike prior sessions, Governor Crist will be active this go around. His Senate chances very much dependent on his performance as Governor and in his finding his voice “for the people” once again.

The ultimate insider, Crist has a chance to retake some of the outsider mantle that has fueled Rubio’s campaign by aligning himself as that “practical and pragmatic” voice against the legislature.

And against Rubio.

60 days for Crist to focus his message and control the dialogue.

60 days for Crist to make the Republican Senate contest about “problem-solving” and not ideology.

60 days for Crist to isolate the state’s tea partiers and find a broader coalition of Republican support.

Will it work?

We’ll know in 60 days.

Posted by Bernie Campbell on Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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