Surprising almost no one, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that he will run for the Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez.

This is good news and bad news for Democrats.  On the one hand, the Senate seat moves from "tossup" to "leans Republican."  The only reason it doesn't move further is that Crist will face a legitimate primary challenge from the right, from telegenic state House speaker Marco Rubio.  Assuming Crist survives the primary -- no sure thing in today's GOP -- it is difficult to imagine him losing to any of the Democrats currently in the race.

The good news is that it opens up the Governor's mansion at what is probably the worst conceivable time for Republicans.  Redistricting is just around the corner, and GOP loss of either statehouse is highly unlikely.  But the Governor's race is likely now a tossup.  and if the GOP loses the Governor's race it will not control redistricting (which presently favors the GOP strongly), which may threaten GOP statehouse control in the long run.

It is also a bit of a curious move for Crist, who has been thought to harbor national ambitions.  Far better to launch a national career as a two-term Governor of our nation's third-largest state than as a junior member of the Senate (pace Barack Obama).

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Seeking "young professionals" and the "young-at-heart," Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe held a fundraiser last night at a Northern Virginia club, featuring hip-hop stars Will.i.am and Biz Markie.

Will.i.am, a member of the Black Eyed Peas, appeared at four campaign stops and did some eight radio interviews yesterday with McAuliffe, who's hoping some star power will boost youth turnout in the June 9 Democratic primary. While an event in Norfolk earlier in the day drew just 30 people, a few hundred attended the event last night -- which charged $20 to get in, and $500 for a VIP reception beforehand.

Biz Markie served as disc jockey for most of the event, until Will.i.am took over the turntables for the last hour or so. During a press gaggle in the basement before appearing on stage, McAuliffe and Will.i.am could hardly hear reporters' questions as the bass boomed from the ceiling.

Calling McAuliffe a "wonderful guy," Will.i.am said he believes McAuliffe "as governor will bring the jobs to Virginia" and that he wished McAuliffe was running in California, where he lives.

After working together for John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004," Will.i.am said he and McAuliffe "went our separate ways since then -- he supported Hillary Clinton, I supported Barack Obama. But that didn't change how I felt about Terry."

Introducing McAuliffe to the stage, Biz sang his classic hit "Just a Friend" but altered the lyrics to fit the moment. "Oh baby you/Got what I need/Because Terry is our friend/Because Terry is our friend/Oh baby you!"

"The Republicans, they're upset," McAuliffe told the crowd, citing the GOP's losses in Virginia last year. "They say, 'This is our chance. If we win, it sets us up for 2010, and that sets us up for 2012.' "

Saying the November 2009 general election will be a tough race that Democrats need to win, McAuliffe touted a campaign volunteer roster of 4,000 and a "campaign no one's seen before."

Prior to that, McAuliffe will need to boost turnout to get through the primary against Brian Moran and Creigh Deeds -- both veterans of state politics. McAuliffe, the ultimate Washington insider who now refers to himself as a Richmond "outsider," is admittedly new to the Virginia political landscape, as well as its voters.

What happens when a hurricane rolls through town and knocks out power for days on end? Let's just say the results aren't evident until about nine months later.

Asked what direction he thought the Republican Party should go in as it plots a comeback, Guinta cited the tea party movement as evidence that most Americans feel the country is on the wrong course.

“What I hope other Republicans do across the country is take up the mantle of being forthright, being true to their own particular principles, and respect what people are saying,” he said. Those who participated in tea parties "are not just Republicans or conservatives, but people with all ideological backgrounds, and they're coming together for common cause and a common purpose, and that is to take back our government and to change the direction of America.”

He said his own party can always do better, and should “restore some basic principles of limited government, of focusing on reducing spending, on bringing prosperity back to America.”

“That's part of the reason that I'm running and I'm putting myself out as a candidate,” he said.

New Hampshire Democrats are already criticizing Guinta, saying he's “running away from the challenges of City Hall” as Manchester faces higher crime and declining schools.

“The people of Manchester know all too well his personal ambitions have always come before the needs of our city," New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said in a statement.

On Friday, Michael Steele guest hosted Bill Bennett's radio show - and he got into a conversation with a caller on the subject of Mitt Romney's presidential candidacy. This caller - "Jay" (not me!) - had suggested that Mitt Romney could have won the general election, but that liberals had co-opted the Republican nomination by backing John McCain.

This is how Michael Steele responded (h/t Think Progress):

Yeah, but let me ask you. Ok, Jay, I'm there with you. But remember, it was the base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the base that rejected Mitch, Mitt, because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you're talking about. So, I mean, I hear what you're saying, but before we even got to a primary vote, the base had made very clear they had issues with Mitt because if they didn't, he would have defeated John McCain in those primaries in which he lost.

This is a very unfortunate comment, and I think it demonstrates Steele's key weakness as party chairman.

But first, let's be clear. On the merits, I think that Michael Steele has some valid points here. I discussed both issues at length when I was blogging on the Republican nomination campaign last year.

However, none of these comments should be coming from the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

On the issue of flip-flopping - all signs point to Mitt Romney having an interest in a future presidential candidacy. He might very well succeed where he failed last cycle, becoming the 2012 Republican nominee. That would make these comments quite unfortunate. One could imagine the DNC working this into a general election campaign ad. The kicker is pretty obvious: "Mitt Romney's own boss doesn't think he's honest. Why should you?"

Second, the RNC Chairman has no business talking about a tension that exists within his party, unless the goal is to minimize it. American political parties are broad-based coalitions that seek to unify diverse groups under one banner. The views of Mormons and evangelical Christians have a lot of overlaps, which makes them political allies. However, they disagree on matters of importance to both groups. Typically, these disagreements are rarely discussed in political venues, so their tensions are usually irrelevant for the GOP. It follows that the GOP has no interest in bringing these disagreements forward. It's only going to annoy Mormons and evangelicals, and potentially pit them against one another.

Additionally, it's bad for the party's image. If you're trying to woo marginal voters, you don't want to emphasize the fact that groups within the party have conflicts. Think Progress headlined its clip of Steele as this: "Steele Calls GOP Base Bigoted, Says They 'Rejected' Romney Because They Have 'Issues With Mormonism.'" Republicans should hope that the mainstream press does not run with Steele's comments, as it will only forward the "GOP is shrinking and narrow" meme, which he has actually helped along in the past.

I doubt very much that the party will suffer any long run damage from his most recent comments. The problem is: if he will say something this now, what's to stop him from flapping his gums when it could do the party real harm? What if, for instance, he mouths off one night backstage at the 2012 convention in front of a Politico reporter? That'd be a great story for the party during it's crucial week of self-promotion!

Newt Gingrich recently defended Steele against those RNC members who are challenging him:

Steele is a huge shock because he's different. He's not just different because he's African American. He's different because he's a free spirit. He's used to saying what he thinks. He's controversial. He has enormous energy. He has great self-confidence.

For a pundit or radio personality, being a "free spirit" and "saying what he thinks" are assets. However, they are liabilities in an RNC Chairman. Ideally speaking, the chairman of a national committee should be boring, bland, and say only what will maximize contributions. There is a reason why your average party chairman is a lousy television guest who rarely strays from the talking points: that is what's good for the party.

Comments like Steele's do not help the Republican Party in any way, shape, manner, or form. The only effect they can possibly have is negative. And if said in the wrong place at the wrong time, they will have a negative effect. I think it is a great thing for a political party to have somebody who calls it like he sees it, even if those opinions don't sit well with his own side. My favorite political book of all time is John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, so I'm well versed in the value of freewheeling, open debate. However, it's no good for the party chairman to be a controversialist. Considering that he said what he said on Friday after all the controversy he has generated - it's pretty clear that he can't help himself.

The party cannot afford to have its national committee chairman doubling as a controversial pundit. It's time for Michael Steele to resign.

An unflattering account of Meghan McCain at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

Is Sen. John McCain out of touch with the party base? Half of Arizona Republicans say he is, according to a Rasmussen poll released today (May 6, 500 LV).

Despite that opinion, 75% of GOP voters still say he's likely to win the GOP primary next year. Overall, McCain is viewed favorably by 65% of voters -- an increase of 6 points since a survey taken just before the 2008 presidential election (McCain carried Arizona by 9 points).

Poof. Just like that our Dodge Caravan is worth 6% less than it was a few days ago before Chrylser declared bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, in the WSJ Paul Ingrassia notes how Ford is effectively being punished for not taking a bailout, seeing as how they will now have to make good on their debt while the government has stepped in and provided Chrysler with a competitive advantage by forgiving its debt.

As I said a while back, I'm feeling very much inclined toward buying our next vehicle from Ford as a reward for not going on the government dole. There is one catch, however: it looks like Ford discontinued making a minivan (which wasn't very attractive/desirable to begin with).

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D), who faces an uphill battle in his bid for re-election this November, is getting an assist from Vice President Biden as he prepares to formally kick off his campaign.

In an e-mail to supporters, Corzine invites recipients to join him and his former Senate colleague on the night of the state primary, June 2. The event will be held at the Codey Arena in South Orange, a venue named after the state Senate president and former governor.

The e-mail makes clear that Corzine intends to use the popularity of the Democratic administration to his advantage this fall.

"I share the President and Vice President's vision for what America can become once again. In fact, I have been working for the last four years to move New Jersey in that new direction," Corzine writes. "We've made a lot of progress, but, together, we can do even more."

The vice president just appeared with Corzine in New Jersey last week for an event to highlight the effect of the Recovery Act in the Garden State.

Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan and former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie are battling for the Republican nomination to be decided that night.

(Cross posted at Politics Nation)

Even Bush-Cheney-Palin-Limbaugh hater Mike Lupica thinks Wanda Sykes went too far. Lupica says CBS Golf analyst David Feherty and Sykes should get the same treatment.  Feherty has apologized. Will Sykes?