Crowley Political Report

As a Republican, Charlie Crist did a pretty good job convincing voters that he is just an ordinary guy who wakes up each day worrying about what is best for average Floridians. As governor, Crist seemed to worry more about the potential of becoming John McCain's running mate than the fate of Sunshine State.

His self-destructive run for U.S. Senate suggested Crist was starting to see something in the mirror that no one when else saw. There are still those who believe that had Crist stuck to being governor and, as many expected, won a second term, he would be in the current mix of potential candidates for GOP nomination for president.

Today, Crist finds himself running against a candidate - Republican Rick Scott - who has none of his charisma, none of his deep roots in the Sunshine State, and none of innate campaign ability.

Scott has succeeded in plummeling Crist's reputation while enhancing his own ever so slightly. Few believed a newcomer to Florida politics with a questionable corporate history could suddenly become the governor of Florida.

If Scott wins a second term, it will not just be a result of Scott's enormous spending on campaign ads. It will be in party because Crist failed in his attempt to go back to being the neighborly guy who became a state senator, education commission and attorney general.

The Crist campaign might find some solace in this long final campaign weekend in the fact that some Republicans in Tallahassee and Washington (including folks at the RGA) are, as one knowledgeable GOP insider put it still  "VERY concerned" about Rick Scott.

Polls are suggesting that this race is so close both campaigns should be "VERY concerned" about the election.