GOP Senator Cornyn: Crist 'irreparably' damaging himself as Independent

It is about time that Senator Cornyn at NRSC laid out the facts -- never should have endorsed Crist as many of us wrote to tell him. Don't get involved in an open, contested primary -- simple as that. Cannot believe Cornyn said his endorsement as Chair of NRSC didn't help Crist so why did he do it. Crist was already starting to feel the heat of the race when Greer, the former disgraced FL GOP Chair, was twisting arms for endorsements for Crist. It was payback for Crist naming him as the GOP Chair.

Cannot believe Cornyn gave him $10,000 from his PAC. Love it that Crist will have to refund the money. Crist has no choice but to refund any money he has received to run for Senate. This is going to be going on for some time with requests for refunds flooding Charlie Crist.

Club for Growth will be contacting donors like they did for Specter where they were about to get $1.2M refunded. Maybe Crist should have listened to Specter who this week said he could probably have done more good as a Republican than switching. Seems he doesn't like being a Democrat.

GOP Senator: Crist 'irreparably' damaging himself as Independent
By Sean J. Miller - 04/29/10 10:47 AM ET

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is “irreparably” damaging himself by choosing to run as an Independent for the Senate, according to the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Crist, a Florida Republican, is expected to withdraw from the race for the GOP Senate nomination and announce his Independent candidacy during a press conference Thursday evening in St. Petersburg.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Thursday that Republicans encouraged Crist to either stay in the GOP primary or drop out and run again in 2012 against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

“Staying in the primary and dropping out and running in ’12 are preferable, much more preferable, than running as Independent,” Cornyn said Thursday at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

“His future electoral prospects are irreparably damaged by his deciding now to run as an Independent.”

Cornyn admitted he hasn’t been able to speak with the governor directly about his decision. “I’ve played a lot of phone tag with him,” Cornyn said. “I’ve sort of given up out of frustration.

“But I know that message has been communicated, both by my staff and by other people close to the governor,” Cornyn said. “He’s a smart guy he can see what his choices are.”

Should the governor switch his party affiliation, “it will end our support and we will throw our support enthusiastically behind the Republican nominee, Marco Rubio,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn wouldn’t quantify the amount of money Crist would have to refund if he launches an Independent bid. But he did say he would request Crist return the $10,000 his leadership PAC donated.

After Crist’s announcement, the primary is effectively over and Cornyn said the committee’s focus will turn to the Democrat in the race, Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.).
“Once we get by this drama of today, it’s going to be in essence a general election campaign and people are going to begin focusing on Kendrick Meek. A guy who voted for half-a-trillion-dollar cuts in Medicare, which Florida’s senior population may take a dim view of,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn said he initially tried to recruit former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) to run for Senate before moving to recruit Crist.

“When Jeb Bush told me he wasn’t going to run, I looked around for the most popular Republican in the state, and it was pretty clear who that was,” he said.

“At the time we made the endorsement, Gov. Crist was one of the most popular governors in America. It’s been a breathtaking change of circumstance to see him now contemplating this course.”

Cornyn admitted the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s endorsement of Crist didn’t help his campaign.

“In this political environment, it’s not necessarily helpful for candidates running in states to have the national party chairman endorse them,” Cornyn noted. “That’s been a learning experience.”

Source: The Hill