Charlie Crist

Newt Gingrich Decides He's the Marco Rubio to Mitt Romney's Charlie Crist

​No former speaker of the House knows better how to turn the tides against a well-funded, establishment-backed governor in a Republican primary in Florida than Marco Rubio, so it's no surprise that Newt Gingrich is now publicly drawing parallels between his own campaign and Rubio's 2010 victory. G ... More >>

Charlie Crist Stays With Real Housewives Star Jill Zarin While Raising Cash in the Hamptons

​Could Florida's Senate race get any weirder? First, we have revelations that Jeff Greene (also buddies with Mike Tyson and Heidi Fliess) hosted Lindsay Lohan on his yacht during a New Year's Eve vacation on St. Barts. Now we learn that governor and Senate candidate Charlie Crist stayed at the hom ... More >>

Dan Gelber Enters Attorney General Race

  Running for U.S. Senate against Charlie Crist isn't an enviable task, and when you're not even guarenteed to win the primary, it's probably a smart move to get out. That's what state Sen. Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) did, and now he has changed lanes and entered the attorney general's race. All he ... More >>

Crist Doesn't Want to Deal in Cheney Hypotheticals, Thank You Very Much

The Herald's Marc Caputo was wondering if Dick Cheney ever crawled out of the hyperbolic chamber that keeps him alive in the torture dungeon basement of his demon castle, located somewhere southwest of Hell, and decided to campaign on Charlie Crist's behalf in the Senate race, would Charli ... More >>

Charlie Crist's Lame Attempt To Distance Himself From Obama

When Charlie Crist stood on stage with President Obama in February I wonder if Crist had any idea that he'd actually be running for Senate. As a popular incumbent running for re-election the political risk would be lessened. Well, the risk of standing with a popular, newly elected pre ... More >>

Crist Cruising Competition, McCollum Favored Over Sink

via azwaldo's flickrPolls are very, very meaningful and exciting. The picture of the 2010 races aren't even in perfect focus yet, but that doesn't mean it's too early for a poll. Mason-Dixon unleashed their first poll post-Crist-for-Senate announcement, and things don't look too good ... More >>

Let's Play Identity Politics For a Moment

So after the NRSC endorsed Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio in the Republican Senate primary, a lot of people implied it was a snub to Hispanics. We thought this was silly. Crist has won three statewide campaigns in a row, is an extremely popular governor, and has a national profile. He's going to win ... More >>

How Will Charlie Crist Stay So Tan in DC?

It is an open secret amongst the Florida political establishment that Gov. Charlie Crist has a penchant for tanning. While the mainstream press often shies away from openly discussing the issue, Crist's hidden tanning habit is explored in detail in Kirby Dick's new movie Outrage: The Hidden Story of ... More >>

Charlie Crist Makes It Official: He's Running for Senate

Charlie Crist has always been a winner. Big, big news! Charlie Crist has joined Twitter! Well, he also announced his intention to run for Florida's open Senate seat in 2010, but everyone has known that for months. But as of 9:12 this morning, it's official. Crist made the announcement through a pres ... More >>

Rubio's First Attack Ad: Look, Here's A Picture of Crist with Obama

Yesterday, Marco Rubio unveiled the first attack ad on his Republican primary opponent, Charlie Crist. The imagery is a slow, trippy reveal of a picture of Crist with President Obama, while an ominous narrator straight out of a dark fairy-tale movie paints the stimulus package that Crist supported i ... More >>

Charlie Crist Expected To Announce Senate Bid Tomorrow

In the past month the idea that Charlie Crist would run for Senate has gone from hot political rumor to almost foregone conclusion, and news broke this weekend that it is indeed fact. Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer told the Pensacola News Journal last night that Crist will annou ... More >>

Charlie Crist: LA Weekly Cover Boy?

Our corporate cousins out in Lala-land ran their review of Outrage, a new documentary that explores the culture of closeted homosexual politicians and gives special attention to our own Governor Charlie Crist, and made it their cover story this week.  Gee, one of the cover boys certainly l ... More >>

Marco Rubio Enters a Race He Will Never Win

  So, former Speaker of the House Marco Rubio has decided to officially enter the Senate race, whether or not Charlie Crist runs. He announced his candidacy on YouTube (how charmingly 2005), and if it wasn't already clear, he's painting himself as the conservative underdog. He talks about how "fam ... More >>

Why Are The Democrats Attacking Obama's Favorite Partner in Hose Grabbing?

I kind of hate when I touch on some point in a throw away joke in a blog entry, and then a little bit later someone with the gift of time, experience and editors makes the same point in a really intriguing, well thought out way. Yesterday, while commenting on the DSCC's early attack ad against Charl ... More >>

Dems Unveil First Florida Attack Ad of 2010

The Democrats are ready to paint Charlie Crist as a political escape artist, even before he officially announces whether he will run for Senate. This ad will begin running in the state capital tomorrow. "The DSCC obviously knows they're in trouble in Florida, because this reeks of desperation. ... More >>

Connie Mack IV Will Not Run for Senate in State He Barely Lives In

If Charlie Crist does not run for Senate, Marco Rubio is officially the luckiest man on Earth. Rep. Connie Mack IV (né Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV), who pulled in decent numbers during early polling mainly because he shares a name with his father, former Sen. Connie Mack III, has decided not t ... More >>

Conservatives May Want Rubio To Challenge Crist in Senate Primary

You would think the Republican party would start trying to find ways to be a more inclusive group. Instead, operating under the assumption that when the democrats make one major screw up, voters will have only one choice to turn to: a newly, ideologically pure Republican party. Now, The Tampa Tribun ... More >>

This Week in 2010 Speculation: Sink for Gov, Crist Still Mum on Senate

It seemed like a foregone conclusion just a few months back that Gov. Charlie Crist would run for a relatively easy re-election. Then in November, the Republicans in Washington got their asses handed to them, and whenever Minnesota decides to get its shit together, the Democrats in the Senate will h ... More >>

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Another Travel Controversy!

via Moaksey's FlickrWhen news broke that Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp had a pricey travel habit footed by taxpayers, we thought it was suspicious it came only a few weeks after rumors began circulating that Gov. Charlie Crist might be thinking of resigning to run for Senate in 2010, leaving the gover ... More >>

The Week That Was

The Herald started out its week on various death lists, cut 175 people (including one on her birthday), and left people questioning whether Miami will even have a daily paper anymore. Meanwhile, one of the paper's more infamous famous employees landed a job, because there is no justice in the world. ... More >>

Crist's Latest Supreme Court Pick Has Wingnuts Upset, Again

Back in December, we wondered out loud if Charlie Crist's love of diversity would leave the Supreme Court with a more balanced ideological outlook. That seems to be pretty much what happened. Last year, the Governor found himself in the unprecedented ... More >>

Yes, Those Are Slaves On The Steps of The Florida Capitol Today

If you happen to wander by the Capitol on your daily stroll around Tallahassee today, yes, that is in fact a truck full of farm workers being beaten into unpaid slave labor right on the steps of the Florida Legislature.New Times photoHaitian farm workers in HomesteadA few months after the latest sla ... More >>

As Predicted, Crist Loses CPAC Poll Horribly

via sky820's flickrSomething that actually appeared at this Carnival, CPAC, last year. So maybe this took about as much insight as it would to predict that Rosie O'Donnell wouldn't win Ms. America, but it still feel good to be right. Friday we had this to say of Ol' Charles Crist's chances in the CP ... More >>

Michael Putney: Charlie Crist Is Kinda Like a Mentally Challenged Gardener

A still from Being ThereIt is all Charlie Crist all the time here on Riptide today, because, sigh, nothing else is going on.  Local 10's top politico Michael Putney took to The Herald today and proclaimed Charlie Crist reminds him of Chance the Gardener from the 1976 film Being There. Chance is a s ... More >>

News Roundup

Oh, ZBT the UM frat caught up in another drug mess has been temporarily suspend. Police said pot and a pill for ADHD treatment (adderall?) were sold at the house. [JustNews]A Charlie Crist adviser,  Alan Mendelsohn, is linked to one of these many, many ponzi schemes. [Pulp]Marc Sarnoff is the n ... More >>

Every Wingnut Hates Crist

Charlie Crist, our new official Republican Boyfriend, was on Meet The Press this weekend carrying on his love affair with the stimulus package. Meanwhile, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, also known as 1/3 of Ronald Reagan's soul-equivalent (Reagan, as most historians agrees, was indeed soulless) re ... More >>

Crist Could Be Elected Ms. Florida if He Wanted, but Floridians Like Him as Gov

Oh, that Charlie Crist -- he's so popular. Quinnipiac, always interested in exactly how popular, finds that Charlie can be pretty much elected to anything he wants. But 41 percent of Floridians prefer he seeks re-election as governor, compared to 22 percent who would like to see him run for Senate. ... More >>

Always First in 'Charlie Crist is Gay' Humor

Well damn it. There I was sitting in the press pool with all these very important political journalists, I held back on one or two jokes during today's live blog. Afterall, other journalists were greeting me with "How, was the flight in?" I couldn't respond with, "actually I just drove over here to ... More >>

Get Ready to Care About Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp

Did anyone really care about Lt. Gov Jeff Kottkamp before, say, a few weeks ago? You know, when those rumors surfaced that Charlie Crist might resign to run for Senate, leaving Kottkamp as our 45th governor. All of a sudden, media attention bumped up ever so slightly. The Sun-Sentinel did a little d ... More >>

Rumors: Martinez Might Not Keep Charlie Crist's Senate Seat Warm Until 2010

Let's skip through the 2010 Senate rumor mill, shall we? Mel Martinez does not know exactly how he got into this horrible Senate job, and he allegedly wants to leave it as soon as possible. Roll Call reports Martinez is considering bowing out early -- and that Charlie Crist is seriously consideri ... More >>

News Roundup

The National GOP wants Charlie Crist to run for Senate. [Hill]Ex-FBI agent John Connolly gets 40 years for his role in a mob murder. [Herald]Beware the dreaded lube ring thieves. [CBS4]With the Orange Bowl demolished, where will we have our official Fidel Castro death party? [CBS4]Burger King hired ... More >>

Crist-for-Senate Rumors Just Made 2010 a Lot More Confusing

Up until yesterday, it seemed the full picture for the Senate election in 2010 would come into focus soon, when rumored candidates including Republicans Bill McCullom and Marco Rubio as well as Democrat Alex Sink made their intentions clear. Well, now with The Hill reporting that National Republica ... More >>

Budget-Slashing Session Takes Aim at Education

Florida's capitol has been completely controlled by Republicans for the past ten years, and with that regime has come tax cut after tax cut after tax cut. Jeb Bush cut taxes by $12.2 billion during his terms, with half of those savings going toward the wealthiest 4.5 percent. Charlie Crist earlier t ... More >>

Charlie Crist's Latest Supreme Court Pick is Boiling Conservative Blood For a Change

Last month we did some caffiene-fueled theorizing about Gov. Charlie Crist's third Supreme Court appointment and wondered "Will Crist be able to satisfy both his seeming need for diversity and his record for pleasing the right wing in one candidate? ... Or will Charlie have to settle for a minority ... More >>

Is There a Major Bush vs. Crist Feud Brewing?

Tucked away in the RedState.com post we linked to earlier is this delicious little nugget: "Charlie Crist has been on a roll lately undermining conservatives. Behind the scenes, he is trying to drum up opposition to Jeb Bush's Senate run, not because he doesn't want another Bush, but because he wan ... More >>

Dems' "Empty Chair Charlie" Strategy Is Empty-Headed

Florida Dems, let us share a bit of well-known advice that helped your national party unseat a seemingly unbeatable Republican incumbent back in '92: It's the economy, stupid. After re-electing party chairwoman Karen Thurman this weekend, the state Democrats vowed to continue their crusade again ... More >>

News Roundup

Two Miami Beach men who used to work at Lehman Brothers are being charged with insider trading. [Herald]Attorney General Bill McCollum would very much like to see the Seminole Tribe stop offering blackjack and other illegal card games at their casinos. [SunSent]60% of Floridians view Jeb Bush favora ... More >>

News Roundup

Oh great. The Judicial Nominating Committee may have given Charlie Crist the "diverse," ultra-right wing nominee he was looking for. [Naked Politics]Some hair salon filed a lawsuit to disband Miami's downtown development authority. [SFBJ]Some kid up in Hallandale decided to steal a hearse, only to b ... More >>

They Delicately Fed Each Other Cake with Forks

The St. Pete Times' Lucy Morgan was the only reporter invited to Charlie Crist's fairy-tale wedding, and here she is on Sayfie Reveiw's Power Play Internet teevee show talking about the ceremony. We get exciting new details such as the fact that Charlie did not end up with creamy white frosting o ... More >>

And Now Some Dumb Words from Your State Political Parties

You know what is really, really hot right now? Governor corruption! Especially involving governors who are quite particular about their hair. So the Democratic Party of Florida decided to get in on this hot political meme by issuing a memo from spokesman Eric Jotkoff charging Charlie Crist with his ... More >>

Charlie Carol = Tru Luv 4Eva

The straight-people wedding of the century is this weekend, and our beloved Gov. Charlie Crist will marry this fancy New York socialite/whoopee cushion heiress, Carole Rome. Are the woman of Florida not good enough for you, Charlie? They have elected you. Has this woman ever elected you?The Tampa T ... More >>

Amazing, Someone is Actually Protesting The Crist Wedding

Riptide works on a self imposed quota system, and in order to meet our goals we have to make at least one "Charlie Crist is gay" joke a week. So it was only natural when reporting on Charlie Crist's upcoming nuptials to lay it on thick, especially while we were still fuming from the travesty of Amen ... More >>

Charlie Crist Overshadowed

Charlie Crist's orange-y skin tone proves he's not someone who's afraid of the bright lights, but he completely got overshadowed at the Republican Governor's Conference. A recent Ramussen poll, taken before the conference, showed Crist coming in dead last in a completely speculative competition ... More >>

Crist Prepares For His Constitutionally Protected Marriage

Everyone Agrees: Crist Blew It For McCain

Governor Crist Extends Voting Hours

Sorry Charlie Crist, McCain Picks Palin

Crist Asks For Federal Money After "Overwhelming" Fay

Sugar Deal Is Not So Sweet

Charlie Crist gets a bogus hero medal for bailing out Big Sugar.

It's Bike Month!