Update: Now the Dems too, have a spanner in the works of the Florida U.S. Senate race, though theirs will come at Primary time on August 31, instead of during the general election in November.

Florida’s eye-catching Senate race has just received another entertaining addition. Jeff Greene – a billionaire who bet against the housing market and whose friends include Heidi Fleiss, the Hollywood madam, and the boxer Mike Tyson, who was the best man at his wedding – announced today that he was entering the race as a Democrat.

The Caucus more at TampaBay.Com [Carl Hiaasen is probably stopping work on his current novel and just trying to keep notes fast enough for his new one: Alligators At the Senate Door]

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So Governor Crist has made it official.  He’s running for the U.S. Senate seat from Florida against his erstwhile party mate Marco Rubio while Dem.  Kendrick Meek is whistling along in the shadows of the news.  Very interesting three-way play in November. We’ll see how well the far right does with their standard bearer, Rubio.  If the IRS investigation of him goes anywhere before the election he may pick up a couple of hundred more anti-IRS hooligan votes.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has just officially announced that he is leaving the Republican primary for Senate, and is instead running in the general election as an independent.

“My decision to run for the United State Senate as a candidate without party affiliation in many ways says more about our nation and our state than it does about me,” said Crist, at a rally in his hometown of St. Petersburg. “As someone who served the people in Florida more than 15 years, from the state Senate to the governor’s mansion, I can confirm what most Floridians already know. Unfortunately our political system is broken.

TPM

Crist has an enormous challenge.  His entire campaign staff resigned after his announcement –not out of ideology I’m sure. They are simply guarding their job opportunities with the GOP going forward.

Not only that Crist has his own financial problems with auditors going over payments made by the Florida Republican Party to a buddy of his.

As forensic auditors scour the finances at the Republican Party of Florida after the ouster of former Chairman Jim Greer, one agreement is sure to raise a red flag: $316,000 the party paid to Jay Burmer, a close friend to Gov. Charlie Crist.

In a 2 1/2-year period ending in December 2009, Burmer’s company Green Wolf Group, LLC, received about $10,000 a month, according to the party’s federal campaign finance reports, to serve as an outside communications consultant to the party.

It’s a vague description for apparently vague work. GOP party officials — former and current — said they knew little about Burmer’s role, and it’s unclear whether he ever signed a contract with the party.

What is known is Burmer’s connection to Crist…

TampaBay.com

The political horse-players haven’t a clue so far what the three way race may bring. Though you can be sure that attack ads will be charging in several directions.

As we explained earlier today, anything can happen in a three-way race like this. Rubio could win with an energized right wing. Crist could pull out a win from his moderate stances and personal popularity with his own base. Or the Democrat Meek could win if Crist and Rubio split the Republican vote.

TPM

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