Final Debate Wrap-Up: Two Candidates Trapped in Distant Third Getting Nasty

The debate between the two leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and billionaire investor Jeff Greene, is over. The two candidates have very different styles and backgrounds -- yet generally agree on most of the issues. Greene was a little abrasive and Meek was a little wooden -- and often seemed like a broken record, repeating the same talking points over and over again.

The debate had its share of tense moments -- and the exchange between Greene and Meek over the congressmans mother, former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, will probably be the most remembered part of the debate.

There was a reason the first debate between the two candidates was held at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, opposite from two World Cup matches and the usual talk shows and game shows. Recent polls show both the Democrats trailing badlybehind independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican former House Speaker Marco Rubio --in some cases by almost 30 points.

During the debate, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a number of key Democratic fund-raisers were raising money for Crist. Along with Rep. Joe Abruzzo, D-Wellington, who's backing Greene, this shows there arecontinuing doubts among Democrats about how viable Meek is. While the Meek campaign claimed to have won the debate today, Greene held his own. While not as polished as Meek, Greene exceeded expectations and often appeared more experienced, especially when Meek retreated to repeating the same talking points: two books Warren Buffet 100 rating from the League of Conservation Voters stand with Bill Nelson.

Though neither man scored a knockdown, Meek has served four terms in Congress and that alone gives Greene a slight win on points.

Meek needed something to jump-start his campaign. This debate performance was not it, though he was not outpaced by Greene by any means. With Democrats abandoning his bandwagon to back Crist, Meek needs to do something to show that he is relevant in this race. That will be a big challenge as he tries to catch up to Crist and Rubio in the polls -- and hold off Greenes continued attacks and media buys.