If there’s not a party going on at Marco Rubio’s Senate campaign right this minute, I’ll be surprised. A new Rasmussen poll has the upstart, grassroots candidate dead even with the establishment and Washington favorite, Governor Charlie Christ at 43% each. That sound you just heard is the GOP establishment screaming in agony that “their guy” is in serious trouble of losing a primary that seemed like a cakewalk to them just a few short months ago.
Crist’s numbers have been sinking faster than the Titanic as of late and Rubio seems to have taken real advantage of that downward spiral. His support has climbed from just 31% in August polling to neck and neck at 43% today. By comparison, only 19% of Floridians have a “very favorable” opinion of their Governor, a whopping double-digit dip from six months ago, and 43% of GOP primary voters disapprove of his job performance.
Rubio has become the focal point of the greater struggle in the GOP of the establishment versus the grassroots, moderate versus conservative, top-down versus bottom-up camps in the party. The early endorsement of Crist by the NRSC and other Republican Washington establishment types angered many within the base of the party. Rubio had been seen as the future of the GOP in Florida – young, smart, Hispanic and full of the conservative energy that grassroots Republicans have been clamoring for in the Sunshine State and throughout the country. This poll will embolden those forces, energize an already excited base eager to show the national party that they made a huge mistake backing the ho-hum, moderate, old white guy instead of Rubio.
Tonight in Florida, the hope for an diverse, youthful, and conservative Republican party springs anew. Marco Rubio is man of the hour, and if he can keep his momentum going, look for support from conservative and Tea Party type activists outside Florida to pour into the state as we approach next year’s primary. A win for Rubio would be a real shot heard round the Republican world and serve as an unmistakable wake-up call to the GOP leadership that they ignore their base at their own peril.
TNL