One door closes, another opens. After Lincoln Diaz-Balart put the kibosh on his Senate appointment, the latest word is that near-octogenarian and Tampa Bay-area congressman Bill Young is under consideration for the appointment:
RPOF chairman Jim Greer just confirmed that longtime Congressman C.W. Bill Young of Indian Shores is among those being considered to fill U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez's seat for the remainder of the term.
Young could be an ideal choice for Gov. Charlie Crist, given his Tampa Bay roots and his respect and clout on the Hill. But Young's move to the Senate could put what is arguably the state's most competitive congressional seat up for grabs.
No word yet on Young's interest, but this would make a lot more sense for a guy who's both long in the tooth and facing his most competitive re-election campaign in eons from state Sen. Charlie Justice. And if Young did decide to cap off his career with a Senate hoedown, his open House seat would likely be the site of a huge special election battle. It's about as closely-divided at the partisan level as they come; Gore won the district by 2% in 2000, but the area went for Bush by two points four years later. Last November, Obama carried the district by a 51-47 margin.
UPDATE: A couple more items off the Florida Senate appointment wire: Ex-Rep. Clay Shaw says that "my phone's not ringing", essentially signaling that Crist is not interested in giving him the job. Meanwhile, the St. Pete Times gives a rundown of the pros and cons of the major choices under consideration.
