Reports that Democrat Kendrick Meek would drop out of the Senate race to give independent Charlie Crist a clear shot at Republican Marco Rubio seem to be unfounded, and this morning Crist didn't sound like a man who was making backroom deals with Democrats. That's not to say he's still not aggressively pursuing the Democratic vote. Asked whether he thinks a vote for Meek is a vote for Rubio, Crist replied, "It sure looks like it, yeah. Regrettably, that would be the case."
According to Naked Politics, though, Crist denied his camp has put pressure on Meek to drop out.
Crist denied speculation in the media that his supporters are putting pressure on Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek, who's running a distant third in some polls, to quit the race to give Crist a better chance in a head-to-head contest with Rubio. "Number One, there's no pressure," Crist said. "People should do what they think is right. But I'll be clear about this: I'm the only candidate who can both win in November and stop the Tea Party mess that Mr. Rubio would bring to Washington."The latest Real Clear Politics average of poll numbers shows Rubio with a 13.3-point lead over Crist. Crist's support averages to about 29.5 percent, while Meek is stuck with 18.5 percent.
