Crist gets gubernatorial race started

Tom Gallagher, expected to file by month's end, is likely to be his top GOP rival.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published May 10, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - The host of the crime-fighting TV show America's Most Wanted made Charlie Crist an official candidate for governor Monday, signaling the attorney general's plan to campaign on his tough-on-crime image.

But it's unclear whether Crist will face one or two formidable Republican rivals.

Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher is expected to file by month's end, but Republican activists see few signs that Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings is preparing for a tough statewide campaign for the November 2006 election.

Veteran Republican fundraisers and strategists note that in contrast to Crist and Gallagher, they have heard little from Jennings recently and she kept a conspicuously low profile during the legislative session that ended Friday.

All the prospective Republican candidates avoided starting their campaigns until the 2005 Legislature adjourned to avoid distracting from Gov. Jeb Bush's agenda. With that obstacle gone, Crist had Walsh file his campaign papers Monday morning.

"From my perspective, he's a very honest, decent man and I think he'd make a good governor," said Walsh, whose son, Adam, was murdered after being abducted in South Florida in 1981. "I hope when he's elected that we can change some things here in Florida."

Monday evening Crist spoke to a small, informal gathering of family members and longtime friends at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg, his hometown.

"We're running for governor, and there's no turning back," he said. He would be the first governor from St. Petersburg.

Polls show Crist as the early front-runner in the Republican primary, though Gallagher is a veteran campaigner and strong fundraiser well-versed on issues.

"This is going to be sort of the clash of the titans: two strong Cabinet members with their own constituencies within the party," said Brett Doster, a Gallagher adviser who ran President Bush's Florida campaign.

Bush loyalists are divided, with each potential Republican candidate generally viewed as more moderate than the governor.

"I don't think any one of them except perhaps Toni - and I don't think she's going to run - can lay claim to the Jeb Bush mantle," said former state Republican chairman Tom Slade. "Crist and Gallagher have earned the right to be their own guy."

Jennings said she planned to disclose her intentions soon, but was not specific. Top Bush strategists who planned to work on Jennings' campaign have not been closely involved lately, though Jennings recently met with some longtime friends to discuss a possible campaign.

Bush promised to work hard to ensure a Republican succeeds him in office, but dodged a question about whether he wants Jennings to run.

"You've got to have it in your heart," he said. "She'd be a great candidate, both in the primary and the general election. But that's up to her to decide."

-- Times staff writers Steve Bousquet and Carrie Johnson contributed to this report, which included information from the Associated Press.

[Last modified May 10, 2005, 12:12:02]