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In 2010 Florida Governor Charlie Crist intends to run for the job of Senator for the state. So he was thrown a political curveball of sorts when the current occupant of the post Senator Mel Martinez announced he was stepping down from his post prematurely. This put Crist in a position where he had to appoint someone to keep the seat warm for him until next year, when a full election will be held. It was announced on Friday that he has chosen his own former chief of staff George LeMieux for the job.

In 2006 Lemieux left his post as deputy attorney general to run Crist’s 2006 campaign for governor. When Crist was elected, he picked his campaign manager for the job of chief of staff but LeMieux left a year later for the more lucrative world of private practice law.

In announcing his decision Crist told reporters “I know the kind of public servant he has been and will be. I know his soul, and I know that he will serve the people of the state honorably and well.” LeMieux returned the love saying “I’ve learned working with this great governor that public servants have to be problem solvers and I will seek to be a problem solver in Washington, D.C. I will be guided by the principles of limited government like this great governor.”

While it is almost certainly a sensible move for Crist’s own political ambitions, his decision has angered many people in the state.

State Democartic Party Chairperson Karen Thurman was particularly vocal in her opposition to LeMieux’s appointment.  In a statement she said that Lemieux’s  appointment was “ Crist once again put his own political ambition above doing what is right for Florida ”

There were indeed other candidates to temporarily fill the vacant Senate seat that may have proved more popular with the general electorate.  Rep. Jennifer Carroll’s name was on the shortlist of nine candidates. She is a black woman who is also a retired Naval Officer and political pundits say that by choosing she Crist could have boosted his own appeal with both female and African American voters who will be asked to go to the polls to elect a permanent Senator in November 2010.

Crist’s time in office as Governor has so far been a mixed bag. He was a vocal supporter of John McCain in his 2008 presidential campaign, travelling the state with him in what turned out to be a wasted effort as the state was won by Barack Obama. He has been praised for his willingness to work in a bi-patisan manner on a number of issues including the environment, but is criticized by many in his own state for his refusal to budge on the issues of both gay marriage and the right of gay couples to adopt. His 2008 marriage to Carole Rome was interrupted by gay rights protestors, who occupied the front of the church where the ceremony was due to take place,