WI: Charlie Crist runs for re-election as Governor of Florida instead of for Senate?

All in the title. What if Charlie Crist had run for re-election as Governor of Florida in 2010 instead of that disasterous bid for the Senate? Would his popularity have remained intact? How would Florida have developed under another term for Crist?
 
Crist would have had to defeat a potential tea-party challenge in the GOP Primaries, probably from Rick Scott. Crist probably wins renomination, though by a somewhat close margin considering that he hugged Obama (the horror). In the general election he faces off against someone like Dan Gelber, but not Alex Sink who runs for the Senate (as it becomes the easier contest). Crist wins reelection by a fairly wide margin and becomes a potential 2012 Presidential Candidate from the more moderate branch of the party (think somewhere in-between Giuiliani and Huntsman).

In the Senatorial contest, there is obviously a vacuum for centrist Republicans that needs to be filled. This is done either by the candidacy of Adam Hasner, Bob Smith, or Joe Scarborough. Regardless, Rubio still wins the nomination. He goes on to face Alex Sink or Debbie Waserman-Schultz in the General Election. At that point it becomes a very intense race, with Rubio narrowly prevailing due to the GOP wave.
 

NothingNow

Banned
If Scott had run again for governor, he would have utterly trounced any opposition from the right. The man was a popular governor, and had continued Jeb's policies. Rick Scott probably wouldn't have run, same as that other guy.
And, well, the left wouldn't have had the chance either.

How would Florida have developed under another term for Crist?

Properly. We'd have an HSR system under construction, there wouldn't have been Skeletor's wank of a budget, and things would be at least adequately funded, even if the Legislature had decided to make some minor cuts here and there.
 
If Scott had run again for governor, he would have utterly trounced any opposition from the right. The man was a popular governor, and had continued Jeb's policies. Rick Scott probably wouldn't have run, same as that other guy.
And, well, the left wouldn't have had the chance either.



Properly. We'd have an HSR system under construction, there wouldn't have been Skeletor's wank of a budget, and things would be at least adequately funded, even if the Legislature had decided to make some minor cuts here and there.

Might he make a good Presidential candidate in 2012 if this happened?
 
I actually think that a Crist who stays in the Republican Party and seeks a second term as governor in 2010 is a well-poised and realistic alternative to Jon Huntsman among elements of the GOP base, and would probably hurt Romney too. BUt would Crist, an Obama ally, even have sought to run for President in 2012 had he been reelected governor in 2010? I have my doubts.
 

NothingNow

Banned
I actually think that a Crist who stays in the Republican Party and seeks a second term as governor in 2010 is a well-poised and realistic alternative to Jon Huntsman among elements of the GOP base, and would probably hurt Romney too. BUt would Crist, an Obama ally, even have sought to run for President in 2012 had he been reelected governor in 2010? I have my doubts.
Probably not. If he was going to run, he'd either run in 2016 (and either take a house seat, or an appointed position in the interim,) or he'd have run in 2008.
Then again, it's probably impossible for Obama to loose in 2012, unless he sodomizes a puppy national television.
 
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