By Trimmel Gomes
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-884745.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Governor Charlie Crist gets to show he's tough on crime in his bid for U-S Senate. He just picked up the endorsement of the Florida Association of State Troopers.
Crist made sure he didn't miss out on a photo opportunity with one of the men in uniform.
"Can I get a picture with you?"
The Florida Association of State Troopers, which represents about seventeen-hundred active and retired troopers around the state, is now rallying their support around the Crist campaign.
"For you to endorse me for the U-S Senate means more than you will ever know, and I was honored and privileged to help you with a pay raise in 2008. You know, I'm not a guy who wants to spend money, but when it comes to either education or public safety, it is worth it."
Association Chairman Mike Kirby says his choice of Crist over fellow Republican candidate Marco Rubio was simple, "I've never met him, and he's never come talk to us, ever."
The endorsement may come as a blow to U-S Rep. Kendrick Meek, the leading Democrat in the Senate race who is also a former state trooper.