The rumblings are growing louder that Charlie Crist may be going rogue and leaving the GOP to run as an independent. Considering the beating he’s been taking in the Republican Senate primary against Marco Rubio, the conservative, non-RINO candidate, it’s only inevitable that the rumor mill starts swirling. He’s pulled attack ads in Florida and now, apparently, is ignoring John Cornyn.

Privately, GOP officials have even tried to broach the idea that Crist drop out of the race. NRSC chair John Cornyn called Crist on Friday, intending to make it clear that Crist should drop out if he doesn’t believe he can win a party primary. Crist did not answer the phone, a source close to Cornyn said, and as of today Cornyn’s call hasn’t been returned.

Party leaders spent the weekend sending more overt warnings. Cornyn told Politico last week Crist would be ending his GOP career by running as an independent, while Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN Crist would lose party backing if he leaves.

Crist would lose not only his party backing by abandoning the GOP, he’d also lose a lot of his senior staffers. He’s got no shot of winning the primary against Rubio, and he’s got a couple of options. He could leave the GOP and run as an independent, or he could drop out with class, spend the next few years rebuilding his conservative credentials, and then run against Bill Nelson.

So the question is, will Crist be running as an independent? And if he does, is it the right move for him to make?

George LeMieux, one of Charlie Crist’s confidantes, is saying that he will be staying with the GOP and is not running as an independent. However, Crist has pulled his negative attack ads and is now apparently ignoring John Cornyn’s calls. Why would he blow off John Cornyn? Clearly, he knows what Cornyn is going to tell him, and that’s to drop out now. Does Crist just not want to hear it, or is he distancing himself from the GOP?

The smart move, in my opinion, would be to concede defeat with grace and then spend the next few years rebuilding himself. The NRSC and the GOP establishment still like Crist. They chose him over Marco Rubio, after all. They don’t want him to leave the GOP; that tells me that even if he loses to Marco Rubio, if he does it in the right way he could still possibly have a home in the Republican Party.

Everyone knows that Rubio will win the Republican primary. Crist is going to lose regardless of whether he runs as a Republican or an independent. How Crist handles his loss will make all the difference. If he drops out of the race, the GOP is practically ensured a victory with Rubio. The only reason Crist would stay in as an independent would be out of spite, to keep Rubio from winning. I highly doubt that anyone is telling Charlie Crist that he has a chance of winning, if he only would run as an independent. He’d peel some votes away from Rubio, and it could be enough to give Democrats the victory. Is Crist that spiteful and vindictive? Is he that stupid? He’d poison the only well he’s got left. Going independent would mean the end of his political career. He’s done enough damage to his career in this election already; going independent would be the final nail in the coffin. Dropping out now, though, would mean that the GOP might still have some use for him in the future.

Whatever his decision, we’ll find out soon enough. As Ed pointed out, the filing deadline is only eleven days away. If he hasn’t made up his mind yet, he needs to make it up quick. The clock is ticking. No matter what he does, he’s going to lose — the only question is, will he be man enough to lose gracefully, or will he try to drag Rubio down with him?

Cross-posted at The Green Room, Stop the ACLU, and Liberty Pundits.