WASHINGTON, June 13 (UPI) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain's opposition to a fund to help U.S. states recover from natural disasters has him at odds with some GOP governors.
Endorsing the plan, which has stalled in the Senate, are two governors frequently mentioned as possible vice-presidential picks for the Arizona senator: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, Stateline.org reported Friday.
The proposed catastrophe fund would set up an emergency cash reserve accessible by states seeking to rebuild after catastrophes. It would be federally managed and built up over time with payments from private insurance companies.
McCain and other critics say the plan would unnecessarily expand the role of the federal government into the private insurance marketplace and benefit some states more than others.
The plan is backed by Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and by all of the 16 Southern governors, which includes eight Republicans.
Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, said Crist has been able to deflect any criticism over his support for McCain, despite their differences over the fund.
"It doesn't seem like anything hurts his popularity," Jewett said. "For a Republican in this (political) climate, that's pretty good. He just has a way of somehow maintaining his popularity."
