Lincoln Diaz-Balart dropped out of contention yesterday, so Gov. Charlie Crist will interview two more possible candidates for Florida's temporary senator: Rep. Jennifer Carroll and University of North Florida President John Delaney.
Carroll's name was first mentioned last week, and she is the first woman that Crist has publicly shown interest in for the seat. Originally born in Trinidad and a U.S. Navy vet, she was the first African-American female Republican to serve in Florida's legislature.
Republican John Delaney was previously mayor of Jacksonville from 1995 to 2003. But university presidentships are pretty sweet gigs if you can get them, and one has to wonder if he's ready to give that up for a few months in the Senate.
As for the nonofficial rumor mill, a new name is being twirled about: Rep. Bill Young. He's the longest serving Republican in Congress. The problem is, his district has been increasingly moving to the left, meaning his House seat could fall into a Democrat's hands.
Update: Crist's former chief of staff George LeMieux and Bill Young will both be interviewed by Crist about the job.