Florida ? Turning away more seasoned candidates, Gov. Charlie Crist took a political gamble Friday and named his closest confidant and self-described campaign “maestro” to the U.S. Senate: Fort Lauderdale native George LeMieux.

The decision trigged charges of cronyism from Democrats and even some of Crist’s fellow Republicans, who decried it as a self-serving choice for a governor with higher ambitions.

For Broward County, Fla., LeMieux becomes the first native son to become a U.S. senator from Florida, which the local GOP hailed as a huge asset.