Florida Gov. Crist Could Help GOP Keep Senate Seat

As Republicans work to rebuild their party's image, one of their stars has made an announcement that could give them a boost in 2010. After much speculation, Charlie Crist, the highly popular governor of Florida, has said that he'll run for the Senate next year.

The announcement has big implications on both sides of the aisle. For Democrats, Crist's run could make it more difficult to add more seats to their majority. For Republicans, not only is this a real chance to hold on to the Senate slot that Republican Sen. Mel Martinez is vacating, but the seat could come relatively cheaply. Crist has consistently had approval ratings of above 60 percent in the swing state, and his run would mean that the GOP wouldn't have to pour the kinds of funds into his campaign that they most likely would have to for a less well-known candidate.

Crist could also help tweak the GOP image because of his identity as a moderate Republican in the tradition of Sen. Arlen Specter, who announced he was switching parties last month. On issues like abortion and gay marriage, Crist tends to be quietly conservative. But on other issues, like the environment, he leans more to the left. He also vocally supported President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package, even stumping for it at an event in the state alongside Obama.

Although his announcement has been met with much fanfare, it's hardly a foregone conclusion that Crist will secure the seat—or even the GOP nomination. He's going up against Cuban-American Marco Rubio, the former speaker of the state House. An April Quinnipiac poll showed that 54 percent of Republicans would vote for Crist, while just 8 percent would vote for Rubio. Still, it remains early in the campaign cycle—and in politics, it can all change in a matter of minutes.