Calling McCain a 'true American hero', Fla. governor endorses senator

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Governor Charlie Crist of Florida endorsed John McCain last night, a major boost three days before the key Republican primary.

Crist brought McCain to the stage at the Pinellas County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner and called him a "true American hero, a great United States senator. . . . I think the world of him."

"That's an endorsement," Crist, a popular first-term governor, said, if there were any doubt. "I'm very honored," said McCain, who is locked in a tight race with Mitt Romney, with Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee trailing. All sought Crist's endorsement.

US Senator Mel Martinez gave his nod to McCain on Friday and promised to vigorously campaign on his behalf in the final days of the campaign. Officials said Martinez had been lobbying Crist over the last 24 hours to side with McCain.

The nods of Florida's two top Republican elected officials could serve to validate McCain's candidacy with the GOP establishment and counteract the fears among some that he would not be a loyal Republican while in the Oval Office.

GLOBE STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOCA RATON, Fla. - A surge of early voting by Florida Democrats and Republicans has startled officials and injected additional complexity into the state's presidential primaries on Tuesday.

Democratic candidates are not overtly campaigning here because of the Democratic National Committee's decision to penalize the state for moving its primary to an earlier date than authorized, but the activity appears fueled in part by unofficial efforts by supporters of Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

By Friday night, nearly 350,000 Democrats had cast early votes, either in person or by mail, and party officials predicted that about 400,000 will have voted by Tuesday, compared with just 97,000 in the 2004 presidential primary.

As of Friday night, nearly 400,000 Republicans had cast early votes, either in person or by mail, party officials reported. By contrast, just under 200,000 Republicans had voted in person or by mail at this point in 2006, when there was a heavily contested Republican primary for governor. Rudy Giuliani made a calculated effort to get his supporters to vote early over the past month.

NEW YORK TIMES

In what it framed as its closing argument to Florida voters, Rudy Giuliani's campaign sticks to the core principles of his presidential bid - that he has been tested by crisis and is the one to lead the fight against Islamic terrorism.

The TV ad, unveiled yesterday, is to air this evening before "60 Minutes" on CBS affiliates across the state. "A Giuliani presidency will have two clear goals: returning our economic policy to the values of Ronald Reagan and taking the offense against Islamic terrorism," he says in the spot.

The ad then praises Giuliani's stewardship of New York City, overcoming welfare, bureaucracy, and, most of all, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "We have the will and the courage and the ideals to ensure the economic and physical safety of every single citizen," Giuliani concludes. "All we need is the leadership. And leading in crisis is what I do best."

FOON RHEE

Mitt Romney yesterday picked up an endorsement in the biggest newspaper in Georgia, one of the 21 states with Republican contests on Feb. 5.

Romney is "the Republican who best exemplifies all the qualities needed in a president," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.

Meanwhile, The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. The Inquirer said in an editorial posted on its website that McCain is "the authentic candidate in a field of wannabes and flip-floppers." The paper said Obama "has provided details of a White House program that, with adjustments, could produce the outcomes this nation needs."

Pennsylvania does not vote until April 22, but the Inquirer circulates in New Jersey and Delaware, which vote Feb. 5.

GLOBE STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS