Crist Endorses McCain

Jan 27, 05:06 AM

Jan. 27--ST. PETERSBURG -- In a major campaign coup, presidential candidate John McCain just gained the endorsement of one of the most popular political figures in Florida: Gov. Charlie Crist.

Crist praised McCain as a "true American hero" at the Lincoln Day Dinner here and said he decided to endorse him after "thinking about it a lot."

The endorsement from a governor with an approval rating that hovers between 60 and 70 percent could prove to be a crucial factor in persuading the 13 percent of undecided Republicans to vote for McCain on Tuesday.

McCain is tied for first in Florida with Mitt Romney, who pushed hard for Crist's endorsement along with Rudy Giuliani. Mike Huckabee was the only major candidate to not seek a Crist endorsement.

Crist's endorsement comes a day after the high-profile decision by Florida Sen. Mel Martinez to back McCain. In a competitive race that has quartered the political establishment in Florida, the back-to-back nods by the two highest-ranking Republicans in the state gives McCain the aura of a frontrunner, though Romney is outspending him on television.

"There are a lot of great people running for the Republican nomination, for president," Crist said, standing next to McCain. "After thinking about it as much as I have I don't think anybody would do a better than the man who stands next to me. That's an endorsement."

Sources close to Crist and McCain say the governor endorsed McCain because the Arizona senator is doing well at the polls, has been a long-time help, mirrors Crist's moderate politics on issues like global warming, and shares top allies in Florida.

Also, McCain backed Crist in 2006 over GOP governor candidate Tom Gallagher. Late in the Republican primary for governor, McCain joined Sen. Mel Martinez in a fly around the state to promote the future governor's candidacy. Martinez, in turn, was repaying a favor to Crist who backed his senate candidacy early in 2004.

Another political payback: A number of top Romney campaign advisors were Gallagher advisors. "The parallel between these two campaigns is amazing," a Crist advisor said.

With McCain in a virtual tie with Romney, Crist, McCain and Martinez calculated that the Arizona governor would need a boost over Romney as they leave Florida going into the Feb. 5 multi-state Super Tuesday vote, said a source close to the McCain camp.

The Florida Democratic Party was quick to note in an email that said "Crist: Screw your, Florida" and "Thanks for nothing, Charlie" because McCain has spoken against the state's top federal concern: a national "catastrophic fund" to underwrite major losses from hurricanes and other disasters.

Nevertheless, the endorsement boosts Crist as well. The national media is focusing on the state and Crist is stumping across Florida to promote a yes vote Tuesday on Amendment 1, a property-tax cut. Crist's face has been in more ads than any of the candidates this political season because he's stumping.

Crist's job-approval ratings remain high. About 57 percent of likely voters from across the political spectrum rate his job performance as "good" or "excellent," according to a Miami Herald poll conducted last week, but pollsters doubt whether his endorsement will carry much sway.

"Crist is popular, but he's not Oprah," said pollster Kellyanne Conway.

Still, every little vote counts in the down-to-the-wire, winner-take-all race. And endorsements must mean something to campaigns, which is why so many of them sought out Crist's and Martinez's backing. Both endorsements were first reported as likely by the Miami Herald on its Naked Politics blog.

Romney advisor Al Cardenas had called Martinez's endorsement a "good get" Friday. Cardenas was a top advisor to Gallagher. And top Crist advisors, such as lobbyists Brian Ballard and J.M. "Mac" Stipanovich, have been longtime McCain men.

"We've been working this for a long time," Stipanovich said.

Ballard wouldn't comment. Earlier in the week, before a Thursday debate, Ballard noted that McCain has stood the test of time and turned out to be a good investment after almost losing his campaign this summer.

"He was like a penny stock," Ballard said.

Now McCain's brand is up in value, and Crist has bought a share.

Miami Herald staff writers Beth Reinhard and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.

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