Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has requested applications from three Republicans for the Senate vacancy created by the resignation of GOP Sen. Mel Martinez. One of the names under consideration, South Florida Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, should pique the interest of open seat fans. From the Palm Beach Post:
Crist said he asked for applications this afternoon from U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; former U.S. Attorney Bob Martinez; and former Florida Secretary of State Jim Smith.
“There will be others,” Crist said in an interview.
Picking Jim Smith might give Crist some headaches with the base — Smith began his political career as a Democrat, winning two terms as the state’s attorney general beginning in 1978, and lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1986. He switched to the GOP a year later to accept the Secretary of State appointment, but as far as I can tell, he never built up the far-right cred needed to satisfy the Rubio crowd.
Appointing Lincoln Diaz-Balart would certainly shake things up, creating another special election in his R+5 House district sometime this fall. Diaz-Balart most recently dispatched highly-touted but troubled Democrat (and ex-Hialeah mayor) Raul Martinez by a blow-out 58-42 margin last year, but his district has shifted dramatically from the Republican stronghold that it once was. According to SSP’s analysis of the results, McCain barely edged Barack Obama by a 51-49 margin in the 21st CD last year, a big drop from the 57-43 win that Bush posted here in 2004 (and 58-42 four years earlier). I’m not sure who we have on the bench who might consider running in a special election, but it would certainly create a race with some potential.
UPDATE: One thing we should make clear here — the “Bob Martinez” under consideration by Crist is not the former Governor, but rather the former U.S. Attorney of the same name.
To the one I mentioned in the other thread – he is really worried about Rubio so picks Diaz-Balart in the hope he runs for a full term thus splitting the Cuban vote enabling Crist to slip through the middle. But I think he picks Bob Martinez.
Only explanation I can think of besides he’s tired of the House is that he hopes this will give him some good name recognition for a future race. Seems unlikely, considering the only people paying much attention to a lame duck Senator will be political junkies.