On stumping and Florida’s ‘empty chair’

MIAMI

Like so many residents of the Sunshine State, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is not originally from here.The Pennsylvania native-turned-chief executive of Florida says it’s his new home’s siren song of beautiful beaches and abundant investment opportunity that makes the state so alluring to transplants “not only from the United States, but from all over the world.”

“We’re the melting pot of the American melting pot,” said Mr. Crist in his recent interview with The Washington Times.

Aesthetics and beachfront condos aside, Florida is a political prize both presidential candidates covet, perhaps more than any other.

The setting for the close of the controversial 2000 presidential election, during which Mr. Crist’s predecessor and presidential sibling Jeb Bush held the state’s highest office, Florida once again figures prominently in the November election.

Both Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain have taken pains to court Florida’s Latin vote, knowing that support can make the difference between winning and losing the White House.

And if widespread rumor and speculation ring true, Mr. Crist is on Mr. McCain’s shortlist of potential running mates.

Though the Republican governor recently visited Mr. McCain at his Arizona home, he has repeatedly denied being asked to join the Republican ticket.

When asked whether his fiancee would consider moving to Washington “were he to get a promotion,” the 52-year-old Crist, whose public demeanor and press savvy is unparalleled among Florida politicos, noticeably squirmed and said he hadn’t discussed it with his betrothed, Carole Rome, a 38-year-old New York native and heiress to a family fortune made selling Halloween costumes.

Using his deftness for deflection on the million-dollar question everyone is asking him these days, the Florida governor instead likes to talk about why Mr. McCain is the best choice for president for both Floridians and all Americans.

Mr. Crist in particular stressed his support for Mr. McCain’s proposal for immigration reform, a two-step process in which the Arizona lawmaker promised if elected to secure U.S. borders and “implement temporary worker programs that will reflect the labor needs of the United States in both the high-tech and low-skilled sectors,” according to his campaign Web site.

“His immigration policy is very thoughtful,” Mr. Crist said. “It’s a compassionate policy that recognizes that people come to the United States from all over the world for opportunity.”

Selling his immigration policy to an ethnically diverse Florida would certainly be easier for Mr. McCain were Mr. Crist standing at his side, even though the governor’s approval rating recently dipped below 50 percent for the first time in 18 months, largely because of the floundering Florida real estate market and high property taxes.

Despite the recent setback for the governor, who is well-known for wooing the public with regular public appearances and a flawless political rap, state Republican leaders expressed confidence in Mr. Crist.

“The governor has always been very successful at knowing the pulse of the people and the voters,” said Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party. “I think that allows him to look at things not just from a political perspective, but from that of the general population.”

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