Crist's formula for success
A Times EditorialPublished November 8, 2006
On a dark night for Republicans across the country, Charlie Crist became one of the party’s brightest stars. He won Florida’s race for governor despite a wave of voter discontent about the direction of the nation and the state that made for an otherwise grim election for the GOP. The self-described “happy warrior’’ charted his own course, and it should prompt Republicans across the country to reassess their strategy of focusing on conservative voters and ignoring everyone else.
Crist, who will be the first governor from St. Petersburg, built a broad base of support that included a significant number of Democrats and independents. He capitalized on the populist image he cultivated as attorney general and ran as a fiscal conservative who did not get bogged down in social issues. He is prolife but called on changing hearts rather than adding restrictions on abortion. He steered away from the gay marriage issue and indicated he has no problem with civil unions. He declared his support for stem cell research even as national party leaders opposed it. Yet he signaled to social conservatives that they would have a voice in his administration by selecting Rep. Jeff Kottkamp of Cape Coral as his running mate.
Crist was just as masterful in managing to benefit from outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush’s popularity while distancing himself from Bush’s less popular positions. He does not embrace Bush’s efforts to overturn the popular class size amendment and promises to find the money to carry out its requirements as well as raise teacher salaries. He reminded voters that he remained silent as attorney general while Bush and Republican legislators attempted to intervene in the Terri Schiavo feeding tube controversy. If any doubt remained about Crist’s independence, he erased it this week by skipping President Bush’s visit to Pensacola to campaign elsewhere in the state.
Democrat Jim Davis of Tampa made it a contest toward the end. The congressman performed well in debates and offered more substantive proposals to address soaring property taxes, frustration with the overemphasis of standardized testing in the schools, and the homeowners insurance crisis. But Davis could not compete with the record-breaking Crist fundraising machine that raised more than twice as much as Bush did four years ago. Republicans have now won four of the last six races for governor over the last 20 years, and money flows to the party that controls Tallahassee.
Crist demonstrated that there is more to leadership than writing the best policy papers. His engaging personality comes across well on television, and his willingness to hear other views and change his mind is appealing even to voters who may disagree with him on particular issues. He now supports the automatic restoration of civil rights to convicted felons who have completed their sentences. And while he embraces the FCAT as a valuable tool in holding students and schools accountable, he has signaled that he is open to refining the way the test is used. That openness to different viewpoints will be refreshing in the governor’s office, where the Bush administration sees only allies or opponents.
Crist will find governing more difficult than campaigning. He won praise as attorney general for hiring competent staff instead of ideologues and giving them plenty of room to do their jobs. His big-picture management style makes it all the more critical that he continues that approach as he fills out his administration and names agency heads. While the Legislature remains solidly Republican, the new governor is likely to find that lawmakers are eager to reassert themselves after eight years of domination by Bush. Key legislators already have made it clear that they don’t think much of Crist’s proposals to double the homestead exemption, force auto insurers to sell homeowners insurance or automatically lock up more felons who violate their probation.
The new governor also may not have much control over setting the agenda after he is sworn in Jan. 2. The property insurance crisis is going to demand immediate attention. While Florida has not been hit by a hurricane this season, insurers have all but stopped writing policies in many parts of the state. Premiums are soaring, and the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has nearly twice as many policyholders as it did a year ago. Crist will have to offer more solutions than he did during the campaign, but perhaps a state task force will provide some answers.
Solving such difficult problems will require a pragmatic approach backed by broad consensus, not partisan strong-arming. In Washington, the Karl Rove strategy calls for energizing the conservative Republican base and microtargeting tiny groups of voters, then pulling out a narrow victory and governing as though it was a landslide. Across the country, voters rejected that approach Tuesday and called for a change in course.
In Florida, Charlie Crist rewrote the playbook. He showed the nation how to embrace a conservative philosophy while appealing to all sorts of voters — and win. If he governs the way he campaigned, the state’s 44th governor will find broad support among Floridians as he grapples with the daunting challenges facing this state.