Who does Crist need more? Primary or general election voters?

If you want to summarize the dilemma that confronts Gov. Charlie Crist over picking a new U.S. senator to fill out Mel Martinez's term, the central question to ask is who does the governor - need, care, choose your word - more?

Is it the primary voters from the Republican Party of Florida? Or is it the 2010 general election voters who will ultimately decide the next senator for six years? Does Crist believe Florida is in fact trending Democratic, or does he have to reestablish himself with the party faithful?

Right now, there is a sense of urgency building about Crist's shaky status with the conservative flank of the party witnessed by accounts here and here. While Tom Gallagher tried to raise the issue of Crist's conservative bona fides in the GOP primary, it wasn't enough to prevent Gallagher from getting crushed back in 2006.

But Crist's embrace of the stimulus package - which of course was embraced in a quieter way by all the Republicans in the Legislature who used it to plug a budget deficit - has become item number one on a long list of transgressions. This has led to expectations that former House Speaker Marco Rubio could defy the odds and knock off Crist in next year's primary for the U.S. Senate.

So if Crist decides that the primary becomes his number one concern then he will pick someone that will hopefully quiet his conservative critics. He will go with someone in the words of one conservative that I talked to "won't be a vote" for President Obama. That could be someone like former House Speaker Dan Webster, an Orlando Republican whose conservative streak is well known but isn't especially close to Crist.

But can Crist afford to pick a caretaker for the U.S. Senate whose votes could be starkly different than his own? Because Crist will no longer have to worry about just his own record as governor, but he will also be called on to explain whether he agrees with a vote taken by the person he picked personally. Let's take any vote regarding climate control for example. Crist could be placed in the awkward position of having to either defend - or disagree with - the votes taken by someone he has no control over.

This pick wind up as the defining moment for Crist's short time in office and may do more to establish his legacy than other things he has done. That's because this pick will get lots of national attention and national TV time.

Crist for his part is refusing to go along with any talk about how this affects his own future. When asked Thursday about whether his appointment needed to be a political statement, Crist had just one word to offer. "No,'' he said.

But even if he doesn't view that way others are already trying to frame it in that context, whether it's Rubio or someone from the Democratic side. They are all waiting eagerly to see what Crist winds up doing. Rest assured, someone won't like it.