Politics | Charlie Crist GOP Wants Crist Out of Florida Senate Race Up in the polls, Rubio gets party blessing By Kevin Spak Posted Apr 20, 2010 12:45 PM CDT Copied Gov. Charlie Crist announces his veto of Senate Bill 6 concerning teacher tenure and merit pay on Thursday, April 15, 2010, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) The Republican Party is making a none-too-subtle push to get onetime golden boy Charlie Crist out of Florida's Senate race. “We believe there is zero chance Gov. Crist continues running in the Republican primary,” says the executive director of the National Republican Senate Committee. The group once tried to push Marco Rubio aside for Crist, but that was before Rubio opened a 20-point lead in the polls, reports the Miami Herald. Big names like Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Huckabee are campaigning for Rubio. Romney told a crowd if Crist doesn't think he can win, he should “do the right thing” and get behind Rubio rather than run as an independent. Crist has admitted toying with that idea, and he says he hasn't made up his mind. “I'm getting all kinds of advice,” he says, but “I take my cues from the people in Florida.” Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Report an error