Meek: Crist suggested quitting Fla. Senate race

[October 29, 2010]  MIAMI (AP) -- Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek said Friday it was his independent opponent -- not former President Bill Clinton -- who suggested that he drop out of the Florida Senate race.

Denying published reports that Clinton advised him to withdraw, Meek told CNN that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist previously had talked to him about abandoning his candidacy.

"Gov. Crist talked to me about getting out of the race. I recommended to the governor that he should consider getting out of the race," Meek said.

Polls indicate the congressman has little chance of winning on Tuesday, badly trailing Crist and front-running Republican Marco Rubio. Crist, when trailing in the polls to front-runner Marco Rubio, bolted the Republican Party to run for the Senate as an independent.

The idea of Meek quitting so voters in his camp would kick their support to the more moderate Crist, instead of the conservative Rubio, has been swirling around the campaigns for some time.

Meek said Friday that idea "seems to be a part of the Crist strategy for me to sell out on the state of Florida."

"I'm not in that business, I'm not going to do it, I haven't done it," Meek said.

Meek on Thursday said a report by Politico that was confirmed by a Clinton spokesman "was inaccurate at best" that the former president while campaigning in Florida last week asked him to withdraw.

Clinton acknowledged during an interview aired on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 that Meek wanted to discuss the possibility of withdrawing, so they did. He did not say he asked Meek to quit.

"I said in the end, you know, he would have to do what he thought was right. He'd have to do what he felt right about," Clinton said.

As for the specifics of the conversation, Clinton said that would have to stay between the two men, who have been friends for years.

Meek told CNN that Clinton privately asked him about the rumors that he would quit the campaign.

"He didn't say, 'This is my recommendation to you,' because that's not his place. The bottom line is he asked me about reports of last week and the week before," Meek told CNN.

Experts say Crist would need the Democrats backing Meek to have any shot at winning.

"Charlie Crist truly will say and do anything to get elected and hold on to power," Rubio senior strategist Todd Harris said in a statement. "Secret deals to trade away principles for power is already the problem in Washington, it's not the solution. This is simply politics as usual which is exactly what voters across the country are emphatically rejecting this election."

Clinton has been campaigning all over the country, trying to keep the U.S. House and Senate in Democrats' hands. Meek said Clinton has done 11 events for his campaign.

During primary season, the White House was embarrassed when it became known that it enlisted Clinton to try to ease Rep. Joe Sestak out of Pennsylvania's Senate primary with a job offer. The White House released a report describing the offer that was intended to clear a path for Sen. Arlen Specter to win the Democratic nomination.

Sestak beat Specter and Clinton was campaigning for him Thursday.

Republicans instantly sought to gain from the episode surrounding Meek.

"One can only imagine the response if Republican leadership tried to force out of the race -- in the 11th hour -- a qualified black candidate like Kendrick Meek," RNC Chairman Michael Steele said in a statement.

Clinton downplayed that, saying of course the Republicans want Rubio to win.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this month said that Meek cannot win the race and instead endorsed Crist. He called the Florida Senate race the most critical in the country and urged voters to combat what he calls the radical tea party movement by voting for Crist.

Crist's camp said the Politico report was accurate, and that Crist "is the one candidate who can defeat tea party extremist Marco Rubio and deliver bipartisan results for Florida in Washington."

Many Florida voters have already cast early and absentee ballots, so even if Meek dropped out it might have only a marginal effect. His name also would remain on the Election Day ballot.

Meek said he saw no advantage to withdrawing.

"There's no negotiation about me getting out of the race -- that's the bottom line."

[Associated Press; By CHRISTINE ARMARIO]

Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.

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