Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist stopped in Venice this morning to rally his party’s faithful, part of a statewide tour leading up to Tuesday’s election.

It was the attorney general’s first-ever campaign stop on the island.

He kicked off a phone marathon at the Tamiami Trail party headquarters, where volunteers plan to call more than 100,000 registered Republicans to remind them to vote. (Crist used his cell phone to dial a few numbers but reached mostly answering machines: “Mr. and Mrs. Powell, this is Charlie Crist calling. It’s about 10:45. I would really appreciate your vote.”)

Talk of issues was scarce but the personality he is becoming known for was on full display.

He downed a tiny cup of Cuban coffee, two sugars, from behind the counter at the Bella Luna Café. He put his arm around anyone who wanted a photo and waved signs on a street corner. He held hands with potential voters, calling “love ya” when they moved on.

“I love your necklace,” he said to one woman, convincing her to take a bumper sticker.

Mary Apostolu, mother of two, asked Crist to sign the cast on her arm, right next to her son Luke’s signature.

“Welcome to Florida,” Crist said to a man from Minnesota. “You’ve landed in heaven.”

Sarasota County has historically had a high Republican voter turnout – in the 2004 general election, 80 percent of Republicans hit the polls, the second highest in the state.

In this year’s primary election, Sarasota turned out about 32 percent of Republicans voters, 13 percent more than the state average and about 5 percent more than the Democrats, said Bob Waechter, chairman of the Sarasota Republican Party.

{mos_sb_discuss:13} Life in Paradise or not

{mos_sb_discuss:8} Political and Social Soap Box

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