Unions thank Crist for SB 6 Veto. But Will They Vote For Him?

Florida
Saying it's only polite -- but not political -- state and local teachers unions are urging members to send their thanks to Gov. Charlie Crist for vetoing the controversial teacher pay and tenure bill. Join the tens of thousands of Floridians who are sending a Thank You to Governor Crist for the SB6 Veto,' is a post on the Florida Education Association website. ``Pledge Your Support.''

Unions have stopped short of endorsing Crist in his bid for the U.S. Senate, however.  He is trailing fellow Republican Marco Rubio in the primary, but has confirmed that he is mulling an independent run.

Crist has received more than 15,000 thank-you messages. He had gotten more than 120,000 messages, mostly in opposition of SB6, before the veto. The FEA, the state's largest teachers union, is running a 30-second television ad in Tallahassee Thursday thanking Crist and pushing for collaboration on future education reform efforts.``Specifically about the campaign, it's not a decision we've made yet,'' said Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the FEA.