The U.S. Senate race in Florida has taken a sharp, but predictable turn. Charlie Crist, the former governor who once was thought to have an easy path to the republican nomination for the senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez in now behind the relatively unknown speaker of the Florida House of Representative, Marco Rubio. Having lived in Florida for 10 years in the 1990's I saw the rise of Charlie Crist and he is a moderate on most issues and can rightly be labeled "RINO". Marco Rubio--bio does appear to be a true conservative. Rubio was the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and a seemly staunch conservative--- a self-made man who came from a very humble background with his father being a bar-tender for most of his life after fleeing the early days of the Castro regime in Cuba.In the upcoming primary in Florida independents will have little effect because that state has a closed primary system that allows only registered republicans to vote. The Tea Party effect so far is undeniable and at this point seems ready to sweep Rubio to victory. From what I know about Marco Rubio at this time I would have to support him in the upcoming election.
Rubio Takes Double Digit lead over Crist
According to a new Rasmussen telephone poll among likely Florida GOP primary voters, former state Speaker Marco Rubio now has a double-digit lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the race to be the Republican nominee for the open Florida Senate seat. Rubio now leads 49% to Crist's 37%, with 11 % undecided. Both have a double-digit lead over likely general election opponent, Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek.
It is an amazing swing from last Spring when Crist held nearly a thirty point lead over Rubio in the Sunshine state, and Rubio had even been encouraged by party members to drop out and run for a different office. In December, Rasmussen released a survey showing the two virtually tied, and last week Quinnipiac University had Rubio leading by a few points for the first time.
At a press conference today on how his adminstration has aided Haiti’s earthquake survivors, Crist responded to the new poll findings.
"You know there is a time to talk about politics and there is a time to talk about people,and what we’re doing today is talking about people, about their needs, their wants and desires and how government is supposed to provide for them," Crist said in response to a reporter’s question. "I am not really concerned about the poll numbers, I am concerned about the people."
Earlier in the day, Rubio announced that his campaign plans to mark the one year anniversary of Crist’s attendance at a pro-stimulus package rally with President Obama by attempting to raise $787, 000 in the next 10 days. The 2009 Ft. Myers event helped showcase a chink in Crist’s once-impentrable armor: his open acceptance of federal stimulus money in the era of Tea Party backlash. The move, considered a misstep of financial temerity by grass-root conservative activists, helped fuel Rubio’s rise on the right. Crist has argued it was a necessary step to buoy a sinking state economy.
During today's call with conservative bloggers that occured before the poll's release, Rubio said that because of parallels to his campaign and Scott Brown’s in Massachusetts, he expected the "mainstream media’" to go after his surging campaign in the aftermath of Brown’s surprising win last month. read more from FOX News
