Opinion: A McCain stop in Florida noticably lacks the state’s GOP governor, Charlie Crist

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Not so long ago, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was a hot prospect as a potential running mate for John McCain.

This past weekend, he was a much-noticed no-show at a rally in his home state featuring the Republican presidential nominee.

Adding insult to injury, Crist blew off the McCain event to go to Disney World -- sparking speculation that he was repeating a pattern from two years ago when, as a gubernatorial candidate, he made a point of distancing himself from the politically challenged President Bush.

That seems a stretch to The Ticket. Although polls in Florida -- like those in most other battleground states -- have shifted of late in Barack Obama’s favor, Crist can be expected to forgo similar excursions and kick it back into gear for McCain as this long campaign comes to a close. Carrying Florida is an absolute must for the Arizona senator. And despite what the surveys are showing, Republicans enjoy a number of advantages in the state.

Not the least of these is lingering uneasiness about Obama among older Jewish retirees -- normally a solidly Democratic bloc. Our colleague Mark Silva visited one of the senior citizen communities -- in the memorably named Coconut Creek, Fla. -- where the GOP is trying to make inroads with these voters. His well-worth-reading report on the political wrangling there can be found at the Swamp.

-- Don Frederick