Crist-for-Senate Rumors Just Made 2010 a Lot More Confusing

Up until yesterday, it seemed the full picture for the Senate election in 2010 would come into focus soon, when rumored candidates including Republicans Bill McCullom and Marco Rubio as well as Democrat Alex Sink made their intentions clear. Well, now with The Hill reporting that National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn is trying to woo Gov. Charlie Crist to make a run, both the Senate race and governor's race have become something a blur. And according to Sen. Bill Nelson, Crist won't make a decesion until May.

Could this just be political head games? The Democrats' preferred candidate is CFO Sink. Yet she hasn't made a definitive statement either way, and maybe I'm reading too closely between the lines, but it seems she's hesitant to live the Washington lifestyle and would prefer to stay in Tallahassee in one role or another. With this latest talk, she might want to wait to figure out what Crist's next move is. If Charlie runs for governor, his chances at re-election are solid. If he runs for senator, he's pretty much guaranteed the GOP nomination and perhaps the whole thing. Sink's best chances are in the race that Crist isn't running. So could these rumors just be a way of neutralizing her for the time being? Perhaps. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Cornyn is actually trying to get Crist to make a bid, but letting it reamain a mystery for a few months could be calculated.