Crowley Political Report

So far Gov. Charlie Crist appears to be making the right moves. The newly minted independent candidate for the U.S. Senate managed to get an endorsement from the Florida Education Association Saturday. The FEA also endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek.

Endorsing both candidates was not a terribly courageous move on the part of FEA. In fact, it was politically dumb. But it's good news for Crist who wants teachers to remember that he vetoed the teacher pay bill that was a pet project of former Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican legislative leaders.

The FEA decision is bad news for Meek who under normal circumstances would have won the endorsement outright. The union's failure to just pick Meek will do little to silence Democrats who are worried about the viability of Meek's campaign.

Then there is this - a new St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald poll showing Crist at 30 percent, Republican Marco Rubio at 27 and Meek at 15.  The margin of error is 4 points which suggests the race between Crist and Rubio remains tight. Meanwhile Meek, who has been campaigning since January 2009, continues to well behind his rivals.

Not a bad weekend for Crist.