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| Marco Rubio sets the pace in first Florida face-off |
| 2010-03-30 |
| Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio used the first debate of the Republican Senate primary Sunday to repeatedly link Gov. Charlie Crist to President Barack Obama. In a 40-minute face-off broadcast nationally on "Fox News Sunday," Rubio hammered Crist for supporting Obama's 2009 economic stimulus package -- a bill deeply unpopular with conservative voters likely to turn out for the August 24 primary. "The choice for Republicans in Florida is: Do you want a candidate that would have stood up to Barack Obama, voted against the stimulus and supported something that would have cost less money and created more jobs?" said Rubio. "If that's the candidate you want, that would be me. Or do you want the next Republican senator from Florida to be someone who would have voted with the Democrats for the stimulus package, and that candidate would be Gov. Crist?" It's that frame on the race that has enabled the once-underfunded Rubio to stake out a double-digit lead against Crist, the early establishment favorite. Crist not only defended his embrace of the stimulus but said that he would have voted for it had he been in the Senate, making the case that Florida's economy was in desperate straits at the time and that his decision reflected an example of "putting people above politics." "As governor, you've got to make tough decisions," Crist said. "I made the tough decision to utilize the funds to help the people of Florida." But, recognizing that discussing the merits of the stimulus won't help him make up ground in the primary, Crist used the session to take aim at Rubio's character. Alluding to recent reports in the Florida press about Rubio's use of a state party credit card and PAC for personal purposes, Crist said his rival abused the public trust. "My opponent has viewed public service as a way to have personal enrichment," Crist said, alluding to what he called Rubio's "slush fund." |
| Posted by:Fred |