Meek May Drop Out, Back Crist

Florida Republicans fear that Democrat Kendrick Meek may be close to a deal to drop his bid for Senate and back Charlie Crist, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report offers no hard evidence or sources to back this up, however, instead citing troubling signs—like Crist’s recent meeting with Harry Reid and his refusal to say which party he’d caucus with.

Meek’s campaign coffers are virtually empty, and his poll numbers languish somewhere in the teens. Local Democrats say they doubt the White House was ever really committed to the candidate. Democrats would rather “win with Charlie than lose with Meek,” one county GOP chairman said. Democrats-for-Crist groups have cropped up around the state, and Crist is certainly embracing them. He’s shifted leftward on several issues, and recently sent out a mailing entitled “Ten Reasons Democrats Should Vote for Charlie Crist.” (More Charlie Crist stories.)