His third-party bid is staffed by a collection of misfits who run the gamut from longtime loyalists to out-of-state hired guns. They have worked for Democrats, for Republicans and even for prominent independents. As with Crist, ideology appears to take a back seat to winning office.

“The personalities are neither Republican nor Democrat. They are fans of Charlie’s and devoted to winning. No real ideology to get in the way of tactical decisions,” said Brett Doster, a Tallahassee-based GOP strategist who ran President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign in Florida. “Charlie is firmly in control of his own campaign with no one to hold him back from saying or doing whatever it takes to win.”…

“Thirty percent of the votes in a general election come from the four southeastern counties,” Doster said. “Democrats can win in Florida by carrying seven to 12 counties out of the 67, if they do it right. Charlie has built a team designed to help him find Democratic votes in southeastern Florida.”