How Candidates for U.S. Senate in Florida Compare on Issues
How times change.
| Candidate | |
 Charlie Crist, 53 No Party Affiliation St. Petersburg Governor |
 Marco Rubio, 39 Republican Miami Attorney; visiting professor at Florida International University |
 Kendrick Meek, 43 Democrat Miami U.S. congressman |
 Jeff Greene, 55 Democrat Palm Beach Real estate developer/financier |
Polls show the race is too close to call. A St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9 poll in mid-May gave Crist a slight edge over Rubio, with 30% of registered voters surveyed saying they planned to vote for Crist, and 27% preferring Rubio. (The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4%). A subsequent Rasmussen survey, however, finds Rubio with a lead of 8 percentage points.
How this all shakes out with voters is anyone’s guess, but one thing is clear: The race is likely to be the most-watched Senate race in the nation. Following is a look at how the four leading candidates compare on issues, contributions, net worth and more.
| Net Worth | |
 Crist While Crist has an individual net worth of $466,063, his wife’s assets boost his total to between $2 million and $4.4 million. |
|
 Meek $-25,980 to $179,999  |
 Greene- Estimated at $2 billion |
| Fundraising | |
Crist- $10.2 million |
|
Meek- $6 million |
Greene- While his campaign finance reports are not yet available, Greene has reportedly told some Democrats he intends to spend $40 million before the primary. |
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Top 5 Contributors; In State/ Out-of-State Contributions; Major Endorsements; Controversy
| Top 5 Contributors* | |
Crist- Morgan & Morgan ($94,600); GEO Group ($80,700); Communications International ($64,609); Huizenga Holdings ($54,700); Leon Medical Centers ($41,800) |
|
Meek- Flo-Sun ($32,600); Greenberg Traurig ($31,000); Podesta Group ($26,100); CSX Corp. ($25,500); Leon Medical Centers ($25,000) |
Greene- Not yet available, but don’t expect much. Greene has vowed not to take “a penny of special interest money” and won’t accept a contribution of more than $100 from any donor. |
| * Contributions were not from the companies themselves but from their PACs, individual members, employees, owners and immediate families. Amounts include subsidiaries and affiliates. Figures are from the Center for Responsive Politics. | |
| In State/Out-of-State Contributions | |
Crist- 81% / 19% |
|
Meek- 65% / 35% |
Greene- Unavailable |
| Major Endorsements | |
Crist- Florida Education Association (the union has also endorsed Democrat Kendrick Meek) |
|
Meek- AFL-CIO; Chiles family (Rhea Chiles and her two sons, Bud and Ed); retired basketball pro Alonzo Mourning |
Greene- None |
| Controversy | |
Crist- Switching parties; association with indicted former state GOP chairman Jim Greer, whom Crist appointed |
|
Meek- Pursued millions of dollars in earmarks for developer Dennis Stackhouse, who paid Meek’s mother $90,000 in consulting fees, bought her a Cadillac Escalade and loaned Meek’s chief of staff $13,000. Stackhouse was arrested on charges of grand theft and an organized scheme to defraud. |
Greene- Greene, who moved to Florida two years ago, is accused of being a carpetbagger. Some have questioned his associations with former madam Heidi Fleiss, whom he let stay at his L.A. home for a year, and boxer Mike Tyson, who was Greene’s best man. |
Next page:
Budget Cuts vs. Spending; Oil/ Energy; Taxes; Social Security
| Budget Cuts vs. Spending | |
Crist- Vows to “fight against excessive government spending;” supports adding a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution |
|
Meek- Says that Congress must get “control of spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits” if it is to tackle the budget deficit. |
Greene- Pledges to “take on both parties and bring an end to closed-door decision making and wasteful and inefficient government spending” |
| Oil/Energy | |
Crist- Originally opposed offshore drilling, then supported it during Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008. Once again, he opposes it in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. |
|
Meek- Opposes drilling for oil off Florida’s coast; recently sponsored legislation calling for an oil drilling ban in new areas in the Gulf until Congress completes its investigation of the recent BP oil spill; supports funding for alternative energy research |
Greene- Opposes drilling off Florida’s shores; supports an energy policy that expands the use of natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable energy; supports expanding subsidies and rebates for consumers who make their homes more energy efficient |
| Taxes | |
Crist- Supports making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. Also supports tax cuts within individual income brackets; a permanent tax cut on capital gains; repeal of the federal tax on inherited estates or money; ending the so-called marriage tax penalty |
|
Meek- Strong supporter of tax cuts for working Floridians and small businesses. Opposes plans that give tax breaks solely to the wealthy and social interests |
Greene- Supports “closing loopholes for the rich,” tax cuts for small businesses and an expansion of tax credits for businesses that invest in research and development; also supports a college tax credit for middle-class families |
| Social Security | |
Crist- Does not support raising retirement age; would instead focus on eliminating “waste” and “fraud” from the system |
|
Meek- Opposes raising the retirement age |
Greene- Says it’s “imperative that we preserve and strengthen Social Security” but hasn’t said how he’d do it; also supports expanding “rent-assistance programs” for seniors |