Washington has long been on Crists mind. He ran for the Senate against Bob Graham back in 1998 and courted John McCain in 2008 to be the GOPs vice presidential candidate. In 2010, Crist tried yet again to get to the Senate but he blew his commanding lead over Marco Rubio in the Republican primary and ended up running with no party affiliation and getting crushed in the general election.
Republicans are having a field day by pointing out that Crist did not want a second term as governor even as Floridas economy was in awful shape. Crist became the first governor who was eligible for a second term who did not run for re-election. Reubin Askew, Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush all won second terms while Claude Kirk and Bob Martinez lost their bids for re-election.
Now trying to return to Tallahassee, this time as a Democrat, Crist isnt helping his cause on the campaign trail by reminding voters he wanted to head to Washington in 2010. On Wednesday, Crist said, no matter how abysmal his record was, his economic plan would have created 1 million jobs over seven years, instantly raising the question of why he decided to run for the Senate in the first place, in 2010, when Florida was desperately needing new jobs. Crist only gave Republicans more ammunition to use against him.
Looking ahead, if he beats Scott in November, Crist could have two chances in the coming years to fulfill his longtime ambition of going to the Senate. Rubio has publicly kicked over the idea of not running for a second Senate term in 2016, especially if he runs for the presidency. Its tough to imagine Crist angling for a rematch with Rubio but, if the seat is open, he will at least cast a serious eye on it.
If he beats Scott, Crist could follow his earlier game plan by serving an entire term as governor and then trying again for the Senate in 2018. Bill Nelson will be 76 in 2018 and might not run for a fourth term. Once again, Crist could look at running for an open Senate seat.
Republicans are attacking Crist for running away after deciding to forgo a second term and setting his sights on Washington. With an inexperienced understudy in Annette Taddeo -- a political boss who has never held elected office -- as Crists running mate, Republicans are wise to play up Crists Washington dreams which could be revived in 2016 and 2018.
Tallahassee-based political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
