Crist --> Stone --> Ferre --> Meek?

by: Florida Politics

Sat Nov 28, 2009 at 19:14:59 PM EST

On Wednesday, Ferre attacked Crist, suggesting the governor was lying about his record in a recent interview with the St. Petersburg Times. ...

The new attacks on Crist an interesting turn of events for a campaign that, rumor had it, was part of an elaborate plan to destroy Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) run by Crist allies.

If the Florida Senate race wasn't already exciting enough, Democrats are now suggesting the latest candidate to join the fight is part of a bizarre plot to derail Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) run by the GOP (and/or Big Sugar).

Maurice Ferre, a former Miami mayor, has not won an election since 1993 and left his last political office three years later. But on Oct. 7 he decided to enter the Democratic primary for senate, where he faces an uphill climb against a well-funded and nationally-backed Meek, who had all but cleared the Democratic field months before Ferre got in. Ferre hasn't had to reveal fundraising numbers yet, but he's hired an experienced campaign team that suggests he's prepared to give Meek a serious fight. That would throw a monkey wrench into Meek's campaign machinery, which cleared the field of Dems months ago and is now geared up for the general election.

A growing number of conspiracy theorists say that's exactly why Ferre's a candidate.

The story first appeared last week in the St. Petersburg Times: One of the men Ferre had consulted with before he decided to throw his hat in the senate ring was Roger Stone, a public supporter of Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and something of an infamous figure in Florida politics. ...

The Ferre connection with Crist goes beyond Stone. Ferre's campaign manger, Todd Wilder, was part of a group of Democrats, known as the Committee For Bipartisan Progress, that raised money for Crist during the 2006 Governor's race. Before joining the group, Wilder worked briefly for Crist's Democratic opponent, Jim Davis. He came to that campaign after Davis defeated the man Wilder had been working for, Rod Smith, in a contentious Democratic primary.

The source said it wasn't likely that if Crist was behind Ferre, he would use Wilder to run things. "It seems a little crazy to me," the Democrat said. "It's more likely the sugar industry is propping up Ferre."

Big sugar has always played a role in Florida politics. In 2006, Democrats say, the sugar industry was behind the Comittee For Bipartisan Progress that Wilder was a member of. This time around, one source mused, the industry could be trying to hurt Meek by funding a Ferre bid.

But another Democrat familiar with the current race said it wasn't so far-fetched that Crist could be behind the Ferre campaign. "There are a lot of dots between them I have a hard time not connecting," the source said.