Gov. Charlie Crist said today he expects to announce whether he will run for U.S. Senate as an independent on Thursday

From Tampa Bay On-Line comes the latest on the Charlie Crist saga. Club for Growth has one again proved why they are such a valuable organization for Republican Conservative candidates. If Crist runs as no party, they will be helping donors to Crist get their money refunded the same as they did when Arlen Specter decided to switch to Democrat.

It is not right to have a candidate take money from one party and then switch in midstream. When a candidate switches they should be obligated to return every last dime and then let the donor decide if they want to give the candidate money.

Looks like Thursday will be the day of the announcement by Crist.

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist said today he expects to announce whether he will run for U.S. Senate as an independent on Thursday.

"I sort of imposed a deadline on myself of Thursday, so I look forward to coming to a conclusion by then," he told reporters.

He said he hopes he would both decide and announce on Thursday. "I think both would be my preference… to go ahead and get that concluded and then look forward to the last day of session."

Running well behind former state House Speaker Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination, Crist has until noon Friday to file as a Republican, Democrat, minor party or no-party affiliate.

If he decides not to run as a Republican, he would be listed as a no-party affiliate, or NPA, candidate on the ballot.

Although seen as the front-runner a year ago, when Rubio was still a virtual unknown, Crist is now behind in some polls by 20 points or more.

Asked whether the Republican party had changed, Crist told reporters, "Things ebb and flow and that's true of parties and other institutions, and certainly that's part of what's happening here."

Meanwhile, the business-backed conservative group Club for Growth, which is known to spend millions in Republican primaries, has announced it plans to lead a campaign contribution refund effort if Crist runs as an independent.

"Candidates who switch parties in the middle of a campaign have an obligation to return contributions on request," said Club President Chris Chocola in a press release. "If and when Charlie Crist leaves the Republican Party, we will contact his contributors and help them make formal refund requests to his campaign."

The group received permission last year from the Federal Election Commission to do the same when U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, of Pennsylvania, switched from the Republican to the Democratic party. The group says Specter's campaign has refunded about $1.2 million.

Source: Tampa Bay Online