It was fun while it lasted:
U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart withdrew his name for consideration to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez this evening.
Diaz-Balart issued a statement this evening saying he told Gov. Charlie Crist to remove him from the short list of three to fill in for Martinez until next year’s November election.
“I have informed Governor Charlie Crist this evening that I will not be submitting the Questionnaire for appointment to the Senate he kindly asked me to consider submitting. It was a great honor to be considered by Governor Crist for appointment to the United States Senate. […]”
So much for that game of political pinball that Charlie Crist was supposedly angling to rig. In other Senate appointment news, Crist is set to meet with Bobby Martinez (the former U.S. Attorney, not the ex-Governor) today, who some speculate is the real leading candidate for the appointment.
I had a difficult time seeing how Crist could pull off his musical chair scheme with the not-so-super Mario bros without losing a house seat in the process, let alone a clusterbleep for the senate seat.
Not surprising, but still a bummer.
LDB is probably waiting until he has a better shot at being able to actually keep a Senate seat. I still wouldn’t rule him out as a candidate for 2012.
will have Katherine Harris submit an application for the seat. That would be awesome…for us!