Crist raises money from Penthouse magazine

By David Catanese Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will get a late fundraising burst for his independent Senate bid from Penthouse CEO Marc Bell, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. The evening event will be held at Bell’s Boca Raton home on Oct. 7, less than a month before Crist faces Republican Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. The invitation requests $500 per person to attend the general reception and $2,400 per couple for a VIP photo opportunity. Bell, who also heads FriendFinder – one of the world’s largest social networking and multimedia entertainment companies – has long played in political races, donating to Democratic and Republican candidates. He gave to President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, as well as Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain’s bids in 2008. This cycle, he’s mostly invested in helping to protect Democratic incumbents, donating to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Florida Reps. Ron Klein and Ted Deutch. Rubio’s campaign declined to comment on the fundraiser, but a spokesman for Meek told POLITICO, “Besides being a lifelong conservative, Crist’s only consistent position is that he will say or do anything to get elected.”