It appears that newly Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist may find support from key Democrats, including the Obama White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Crist announced April 28 that he is breaking away from the Republican Party to run for the U.S. Senate as an Independent.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid placed a call to Crist last week. Reid has refused to say what they discussed, but the Journal says that "some Crist allies are taking it as a sign of cooperation to come."
Also, sources say the White House has been fielding calls from top Democratic operatives asking for permission to help Crist with his campaign. That would be vital to Crist, given that his Republican support has dried up since he left the GOP.
"Some Democrats are trying to figure out a way to go help Charlie Crist," NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd reported Monday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "Crist has reached out. Will the White House say, 'Hey, you do this you're persona non grata in the Democratic Party going forward?' Or will this be their tact way of saying, 'Look, you do what you do, we'll see you in 2012'."
Publicly, the White House is saying it enthusiastically backs the Democratic candidacy of Kendrick Meek.
But it may hedge its bet by giving insiders the green light to work on the Crist campaign as well.
The administration's ambivalence stems in part from Meek's strong support during the 2008 campaign for Obama's chief rival, then-Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Crist, by contrast, literally embraced President Obama and his economic stimulus proposals.
Many believe that killed Crist's chances of getting the GOP senate nomination over conservative insurgent Marco Rubio, a former speaker of Florida's House.
The White House's political calculation is complicated by the fact that Crist has not promised to caucus with Democrats if he wins election in November.
Lukewarm White House support for Meek could provoke a backlash from Democratic activists in Florida, as well as Meek's friends in the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rubio will face off against Crist and the Democratic nominee in a three-way race in November.
Eric Johnson, a Democratic political consultant who was chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., told the Journal that the White House and other top Democrats are focused on defeating Rubio no matter what.
"But it's not clear whether Kendrick Meek or Charlie Crist is the man to beat Rubio," Johnson said.
John Morgan, an Orlando-area Democrat who has been advising Crist, said of the White House, "I don't think they're going to put a bunch of money behind Kendrick Meek."
Meek trails in the polls. The latest Mason-Dixon poll shows Crist leading with 38 percent, Rubio with 32 percent, and only 19 percent of Florida voters supporting Meek. Crist actually beat Meek among Florida Democrats.
One of the big wild cards in the race is Wexler, who remains very popular in the traditional Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Florida political analyst Brian Crowley told the Journal: "If Robert Wexler decides to support Crist in the Senate race, it will be difficult for Kendrick Meek to win a significant chunk of South Florida Jewish votes. Without them, Meek will be in serious trouble."
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