Florida Governor Charlie Crist, bowing to the fact that he was going to get crushed in the Republican primaries, yesterday bowed to the inevitable and withdrew from the contest. He also, as widely expected, simultaneously launched an independent bid for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Mel Martinez’ retirement.
Several of his staffers promptly quit:
Crist’s campaign attorney Benjamin Ginsberg, a veteran GOP legal player who advised both Bush-Cheney presidential campaigns and later Mitt Romney’s 2008 campaign, sent Crist his resignation letter moments after Thursday’s announcement.
Communications Director Andrea Saul and Press Secretary Amanda Hennenberg — the campaign’s main conduit to the media — also resigned their positions. Both Republicans moved to Tallahassee from Washington, D.C. to work for Crist’s Senate campaign.
My wife’s company instantly resigned as his pollster, as they did when Arlen Specter switched parties:
The Republican polling firm of Public Opinion Strategies announced today that it is resigning from Governor Charlie Crist’s campaign team.
“Governor Crist’s decision has been ceaselessly speculated on in recent weeks. Despite his difficulties in the Republican primary, we were loyally working for him as long as he was a Republican. With his announcement that he is not running as a Republican, we will no longer be involved,” said Glen Bolger, a Partner in the firm who worked with the Crist campaign.
Such is the business: Anyone who wants to work for a Republican candidate or officeholder in the future will need to abandon ship. Regardless of personal affection people may have for Crist, he’s now not only going to be running against the Republican nominee but making it much easier for the Democrat to win.
