Crist Favorables See an Uptick

He shouldn't celebrate unless the trend continues, but Gov. Charlie Crist sees more good news than just the Senate polling numbers in the new Quinnipiac poll. His favorable ratings are at 52/33 right now, the best showing for Crist since January. Ultimately, that is the number that may best reflect the long-term outcomes of the race.

Looking at the trend lines, the governor seemed to be on an eternal slide in polls for some time. His highest favorables still date back to August 2009 when he clocked in at 68/21. But the constant assault from Marco Rubio and the tea party movement took its toll, to the point where Crist was polling at 48/35 in mid-April. His job approval rating as governor run very closely along the same trend lines. It seems his switch to no-party status, both as a candidate and in his voter registration, seem to be paying off politically though. The governor has created a maverick glow around himself and is bouncing upward in the minds of voters.

In contrast, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek are seeing net losses in their favorables. Indeed, Meek is still an unknown quantity to 69 percent of voters, and it seems the more people learn of him they less they like him, with his numbers slipping from 20/8 last October to 17/13 now. Rubio since April has gone from 36/22 to 36/28, meaning his base is staying pretty loyal but the public-at-large likes him less the better they get to know him.

Most amusing in the poll, though, are the questions about whether the Senate candidates make decisions based on what is popular or what is right. Maybe changing his stance on Arizona's immigration law stung Rubio, but a whopping 42 percent of voters consider him a slave to polls while just 33 percent see him as a principled politician. From a candidate thriving on ideologically-rigid tea party support, these numbers are rather high. Meek fairs even worse, for no real good reason, with 36 saying he bases choices on what's popular and 20 percent believing he acts on what he feels is right.

And Charlie? The man who made the most public and politically pragmatic move since Arlen Specter pinned on a donkey tail? Some 48 percent feel he bases decisions on what is popular, and 43 say he does what he feels is right. Was that switch to being an independent a political move? 60 percent of voters think so.

They just don't care. If the Senate race were today, the poll says, the governor wins with 37 percent to Rubio's 33 and Meek's 17. This one is still Crist's to lose.