Florida Governor Charlie Crist may announce his run for US Senate next week. Reports from the Sunshine State say that the Governor could pull the trigger as early as Monday. Crist had indicated that he wouldn’t make an announcement about his future until the conclusion of Florida’s legislative session, which is today.

Crist, who was all but endorsed by outgoing GOP Senator Mel Martinez late last month, has to face former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio who announced via Twitter this week that he was running to succeed Martinez. Rubio has gotten some early support from conservative interests, including a glowing endorsement by RedState’s Erick Erickson. Rubio made a point to appear at recent Tea Parties in Florida, which will help remind conservatives in Florida of the differences between Rubio and the Governor.

Rubio is seeking to portray himself as a more conservative alternative to the governor. Crist has drawn scorn from some Republicans for supporting President Barack Obama’s spending plan, though polls show most voters support it.

”The more Republicans become less distinguishable from Democrats, the less people will vote for Republicans,” Rubio said.

NRSC Chairman John Cornyn, whose job is to recruit winning Senate candidates to win back control of the chamber from Democrats, is optimistic about Crist’s campaign. Cornyn said the NRSC will not intervene in the Florida primary if Crist challenges Rubio.

Crist has bucked the trend of his fellow GOP state executives in the South by being one of only a few Republican Governors who supported Obama’s bailout plan, even earning the tag “Obama Republican” from Meet The Press’s David Gregory. During his visit to Florida where he stood on stage with Governor Crist, President Obama said that the Republican Governor, “shares my conviction that creating jobs and turning this economy around is a mission that transcends party. When the town is burning, we don’t check party labels. Everyone needs to grab a hose!” This earned Crist some praise from Democrats, but that may be short lived. Recently, the DSCC’s spokesman attacked Crist’s record saying, “Leadership does not mean driving your state into an economic ditch and then ditching your responsibilities.”

Marco Rubio does enjoy a past win against Crist. In 2007, Rubio took Governor Crist to court arguing that he did not have the authority to negotiate an expanded gambling deal with Florida’s Seminole Tribe, a case which he won before the State’s Supreme Court. Next year tough, it seems they’ll be facing off on the ballot, and with the tenuous balance of power in the United States Senate, this will be yet another important race for the GOP to win if it has any hope of impacting Obama policy during the President’s term.