This morning, Florida's Governor Charlie Crist made it official, announcing that he will run for the U.S. Senate:
As Governor, each day I will continue to focus on fighting for all Floridians. And if I am given the honor of serving as their Senator, I will take that fight for the people of this state I love so dearly to the halls of Congress.
And now, the war begins:
The expected announcement Tuesday by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist that he’s running for the Senate would seem to be a rare bit of good news for beleaguered Republicans.
But while Crist is a brand-name recruit with sky-high approval ratings and bipartisan appeal, his path to keeping the seat of retiring Sen. Mel Martinez in GOP hands has at least one significant roadblock: Sunshine State conservatives.
Despite Crist’s widespread popularity, he faces a primary in which he will have to make his case to a restless GOP base dissatisfied with his high-profile advocacy for President Barack Obama’s stimulus and his handling of the state’s budget woes.
And he will be facing a vigorous fight from former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a young, outspoken Hispanic conservative who is capturing the attention of activists in Florida and across the country.
On one side, what's left of the traditional Republican Party, knowing that Crist is their best shot to retain the seat in a general election, and on the other, the Rush Limbaugh wing of the GOPosaur, screaming about the RINO who kissed up to the Socialist, Fascist, closet-Muslim, pretender-in-chief.
It's shaping up to be a battle for the heart and soul of the party ... if the GOP had a heart and soul.