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Crist Announcement Set for Thursday

Gov. Charlie Crist will speak Thursday at an outdoor rally in his hometown of St. Petersburg. His campaign is calling the rally a "Candidate Qualifying Event." All candidates are required to file paperwork with the Secretary of State's office by noon on Friday to formally declare their candidacy.

It’s widely expected that Crist will use the occasion to announce whether he will run for Senate as an independent or continue to battle former state House Speaker Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination.  
As a popular sitting governor, Crist was considered the frontrunner when the race began last year. But recent polls have shown Rubio pulling ahead with support from several Tea Party related groups and endorsements from prominent national and state Republicans.                                                                                                                         A Quinnipiac University poll earlier this month showed Rubio ahead of Crist 56 percent to 33 percent. Recent polls also indicate that Crist would fare better in the general election if he runs as an independent in a three way race against Rubio and Democratic candidate, Congressman Kendrick Meek.                                                                                            Gov. Crist’s event is set for 5:00 pm Thursday in downtown St. Petersburg’s Straub Park.

 

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