Charlie Crist

ASBURY PARK - A supporter of Sen. John McCain’s since the Arizona senator’s first run for president in 2000, state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) said he believes Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Jr., would be a good running mate for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

"Florida’s an important state and Crist is popular," Kean told PolitickerNJ.com.

He also likes the fact that Crist is a governor, which adds an executive dimension to the candidacy of McCain, who has served in the U.S. Congress for two decades.

Kean personally likes former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, but acknowledges that Ridge’s pro choice views might alienate critical base Republican voters.

California appears to be something of hot spot for Republican vice presidential prospects.

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be appearing at a Tuesday fundraiser for state Senate candidate Tony Strickland in Ventura.

And on Friday evening, Florida Governor Charlie Crist headlined a fundraiser for the Orange County Republican Party in Irvine. 900 people were in attendance.

Crist is serving his first term as governor.

Has Sen. John McCain invited you to Sedona this weekend?  If not, then you probably did not make the first cut of short list candidates for the veep gig.  McCain will be hosting Mitt Romney, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Florida Governor Charlie Crist at his Sedona cabin this weekend.  The informal meetings are more than likely just an opportunity for some short list candidates and the presumptive nominee to spend some time with each other to see if they can get along.  Kind of like a trial move-in before you propose to make sure you can live together. 

Next to selecting his running mate, John McCain's most important decision at the Republican National Convention is picking a keynote speaker.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a possible 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate, has a 59%-25% approval rating in his home state, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.

“Even as Gov. Charlie Crist’s approval ratings decline a bit (65%-17% in October), they remain the envy of most governors. The reason his numbers are lower is that they were so high to begin with and voter satisfaction with how things are going in Florida has plummeted,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.