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After a week of feuding in Florida's Capitol, the likes of which have rarely been seen between a sitting governor and his own party, this much seems clear: The state GOP is no longer a place where Gov. Charlie Crist can co-exist with his party's leaders.
And the consequences of that public divorce could have major consequences for the party that has controlled Florida government for nearly 15 years.
The past week didn't just feature verbal attacks -- Crist called GOP leaders "crazy" and top Republicans called him "untrustworthy." It also revealed signs of a deeper fracture within the Republican Party. Political analysts and even some party leaders say that in the zeal to separate themselves from Crist, Republicans may also be ostracizing the very moderate voters the GOP has relied on to win state elections.
Example No. 1 may be a "loyalty memo" issued by the state party last week declaring that any party official who supports Crist if he runs for the U.S. Senate as an independent will be banished from the party. Sarasota County Party Chairman Joe Gruters was among those expressing concerns that the memo would be seen as a "witchhunt" -- scaring off supporters just when the Florida GOP is trying to build momentum for the fall elections.
"It depends on how hard the party plays this," Gruters said. If the party picks a fight with GOP donors still loyal to Crist, Gruters continued, it may hurt future fundraising for state and local Republican parties.
With Democrats holding a 700,000 edge in voter registrations in Florida, Republicans cannot in the long run afford to veer too far to the right, said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida.
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