Naples Daily News Endorses Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate

Naples Daily News: Independence has made Crist the best candidate

Voters have a real choice in this contest that is getting national attention for its style and substance. It features three credible candidates rather than two, and promises to affect the balance of power in Washington.

Our editorial board recommends:

Charlie Crist, independent.

Both of his opponents, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, sneer at Crist as an opportunist — bolting the GOP to save his own skin and have a chance to win.

We are glad he did, because it is his positions, not why he may or may not have chosen them, that matters.

He stood up for the sovereignty of local school boards when the Legislature went off on its own to overhaul teacher pay and tenure.

He is adamant about holding the line on — or even cutting — taxes. He realizes that the border must be secured before more comprehensive fixes to the problem of illegal immigration can be implemented.

On the highly partisan issue of health-care reform, Crist correctly observes that Republicans are obligated to hate it while Democrats are obligated to love it. His independence really will allow him the flexibility to embrace the parts of it that make sense and to work to fix or reject the ones that don’t.

We believe Crist is right on when he says he will be one of few senators with the luxury of speaking without partisan shackles.

With an evenly divided Senate a distinct possibility, Crist, rather than being shut out, ought to be in on everything.