by Mark Silva
One of the hottest Senate races on the horizon - the Florida Republican primary fight between Gov. Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio of Miami -- could be heading for spring training in March with a televised debate.
Rubio, a Miami Republican and conservative giving a long-popular governor and political moderate an unexpectedly tough contest, has agreed to take part in a debate sponsored by FOX News, The Swamp has learned.
Crist, the governor, former state attorney general and state lawmaker long popular in Florida but suddenly facing heated competition within conservative ranks of his party, has not accepted the challenge yet, The Swamp understands.
If the governor agrees, Chris Wallace, host and moderator of FOX News Sunday, stands ready to moderate the debate between the two Republicans ion his Sunday morning news show in either Florida or Washington, D.C., on March 28.
The two are seeking their party's nomination for a Senate seat which Republican former Sen. Mel Martinez forfeited before the end of his term. Sen. George LeMieux, a Florida Republican and confidant of Crist appointed as a placeholder for the governor, has been serving since the departure of Martinez, a fomer Republican National Committee chairman whose own ratings had slid midway through his term.
Rubio, a young Cuban-American who rose quickly to leadership in the Florida Legislature, has the backing of the Club for Growth and other conservative interests who complain that Crist has acceded to Democrats -- with the governor's outspoken support of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus and appearances with the president angering Republicans in a state that helped elect Obama to the White House.
The president's own approval ratings had slipped below 50 percent in Florida last year before they did nationally, and Crist, long popular among voters of all stripes, faces a fight. Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre are seeking the Democratic nomination. The primary elections are at summer's end.
Comments
This is GREAT!
As a Democrat I always support the right wing Teabagger nutbags (Rubio)...because they're eventually going to destroy what little is left of the Republican party.
Posted by: former Republican | February 9, 2010 3:52 PM
GO TEABAGGERS!
Posted by: The 2010 Democratic Party | February 9, 2010 4:18 PM
Days after Sarah Palin headlined the nation's first Tea Party convention, a Rasmussen Reports poll released today shows that a generic "Tea Party candidate" would come in third in a theoretical three-way congressional contest.
The poll found that 36% of voters would support a Democratic candidate on a generic ballot, 25% would back the Republican and 17% would go for the Tea Party pick. Twenty-three percent of respondents are undecided.
Posted by: bill r. | February 9, 2010 4:42 PM
Michael Steele: "Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money"
You cannot make this stuff up -- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele:
"Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money."
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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20100205gop_chairman_steele_after_taxes_a_million_dollars_is_not_a_lot_of_money/
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Michael Steele is the gift that keeps on giving....to Democrats. In fact I sometimes wonder if he isn't really working for them.
Posted by: Planet Wingnuttia | February 9, 2010 6:25 PM
Rubio by double-digits in the primary and then its only 9 more senators until the reign of Harry "Crooked Land Deal" Reid is over.
Look at what has happened to the economy since Harry and Nancy took over. Tine to put the conservatives, not just Republicans, back in charge.
Posted by: Terry | February 9, 2010 7:38 PM
The Republican party will eventually collapse under the weight of the Tea Klux Klan wing of their party.
The few victories that they will win will backfire on them big time once their hatred and racism is put on full display in congress for everyone to see and be repulsed by. I don't care how much halfwit right wing rubes like Terry cheerlead for them, it will eventually turn into a Epic Republican Fail.
Posted by: HHH | February 9, 2010 9:22 PM
Terri
Your thinking is flawed as usual. This is a Republican recession brought about by the policies Bush#43 and the rubberstamp Republican Congress, Clinton (to a lesser extent) and Reagan (the most overrated President in US history). I will also say Reid and Pelosi have done very little to be helpful. The Republican party is illegitimate and dysfunctional and could care less about you and the average U.S. citizen. They are all bought and paid for by large corporations who have outsourced all their jobs to India and other countries. Clueless teabaggers like you can believe the Earth is flat for all I care. Go ahead and put dimwit Palin on the ballot in 2012, you people have no one else.
Posted by: Doug R. | February 10, 2010 8:52 AM
Doug R.
Bravo Doug I couldn't have said it better myself. The point that most rational people don't understand about the Tea Baggers is this: It's not the fact that most of these things like health care would benefit them also, the point is that minorities would have them too. They would rather do without than see people they hate have these benefits too. Such is the Tea Klux Klan.
Posted by: A. Flores | February 10, 2010 10:57 AM
HHH and Flores,
When you have nothing scream racism. You have nothing.
DoogieR,
Surprised you din't throw in Bush41 also. Did his four years do no damage, but the 24 years of Reagan, Clinton, and Bush43 did?
I think the GOP, at least comparecto the dems, is concerned about the avaerage citizen. Their policies allow for job creation which leads to liberty and freedom. They don't expect dependency on the gov't and the policies that will lead to at laeast two generations of paying off this debt.
You mention all the jobs that have been outsourced, but during the past 10 -15 years when all these jobs have been outsourced is when unemployment has been at historica lows. Care to explain that?
Nice strawman - Where have I ever said the earth is flat?
As for the GOP, I think the canidate pool of Romney, Gingrich, Pawlenty, Jindal, Huckabee, along with Palin makes for a deep pool. I would love to see a Gingrich-Obama debate (not that I necessarily would think Newt would make the best president) just to watch tie the dimwit in knots.
Posted by: Terry | February 10, 2010 8:54 PM
Let's dig some dirt from Charles Crist, I am sure he has plenty of it,or the media is going to do like they did with Obama!
Posted by: Victoria | February 27, 2010 10:27 PM
Bush acted like a Democrat!
Posted by: Victoria | February 27, 2010 10:29 PM