Crist offers, Meek refuses -- but who of the two Florida Senate candidates should be cross?

There may be a question in some peoples’ minds about what the constitution says about the separation of church and state, but religion and politics have become a strange mix in some of this year’s midterm elections.

There was the emergence of “Aqua Buddha” in the hard-fought Kentucky senate race and the appearance -- then abrupt disappearance -- of witchcraft in Delaware. Now there is the case of the cross in Florida where Kendrick Meek, the Democrat, is running third in a three-way race for the U.S. Senate.

In recent days, there has been a revival of reports that some politicians had hoped to woo Meek out of his race, clearing the way for socially moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, running as an independent, to have a shot at beating Marco Rubio, a “ tea party” movement favorite. Crist, once a rising GOP star, dropped out of the Republican primary when polls showed him losing the nomination to Rubio.

Former President Bill Clinton has denied reports that he urged Meek to leave the race. Meek now says it was Crist who suggested the Democrat leave and that Crist even offered him a cross.

Meek told MSNBC on Saturday that Crist offered the cross last Monday when the pair were at a session of the pro- Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The day began with a 5 a.m. call from Crist to set up the meeting.

“He asked me out of race and I told him that was a non-starter,” Meek said in the television interview of his meeting with Crist, whose camp refused comment to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the story.

“He then at that point he took out a cross,” Meek continued. “I want to give this to you while you think about it.

“I said I carry my Christianity in my heart,” said Meek, who refused the gift given to Crist by a relative. “You need to keep it.”

Most polls show Rubio with a solid lead over Crist with Meek running a distant third.

Meek will join Clinton and other Democrats in an election eve rally in Orlando on Monday.

michael.muskal@latimes.com
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal