Candidates for governor spend hours in what's called debate prep, honing their skills, memorizing key words and phrases, working on hand gestures -- and anticipating what the opponent will do or say. (At least, that's what they should be doing).

Naturally, somebody has to play the role of the other guy. When Charlie Crist preps, the role of Tom Gallagher is played by Chris Kise, a Tampa lawyer and Crist's former solicitor general who recently left the attorney general's office for a job at the Foley & Lardner firm. Kise, 41, is much younger than Gallagher, but his blue eyes and perfect teeth conjure up an image of the CFO. Surely it's a coincidence that Kise, like Gallagher, is a proud 'Cane -- a University of Miami graduate.

The joke in the Crist campaign is that unlike Gallagher, Kise did not have to read from a prepared closing statement on TV Tuesday night.