United Liberty

Charlie Crist is getting desperate. Any candidate who goes to such great lengths to insinuate that his opponent isn’t a fiscal conservative because he gets expensive haircuts must be, oh I dont know…30 points down in the polls?

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Watch:

Take a shot every time you hear the phrase “back wax.” Double shot when Greta says it. You’ll need it.

The latest survey the Republican primary for Florida’s Senate seat shows Marco Rubio leading Gov. Charlie Christ by 32 points, according to Public Policy Polling:

Rubio now leads Crist 60-28, including a staggering 71-17 lead with conservatives. Crist has a 49-36 advantage with party moderates, but they account for just 31% of likely primary voters compared to 65% who describe themselves as conservative.

Rubio is benefiting from a widely held sentiment among Florida GOP voters that Congressional Republicans are too liberal and that Crist would add to the problem. 41% of them think that the party leadership in Washington is too liberal, and with those folks Rubio holds an 83-10 lead. 50% think that Crist himself is too liberal and with those voters Rubio’s advantage expands even wider to 90-5.

If Crist, who has a 56% disapproval rating among Republicans, were to decide to run for re-election, he would also be trailing Bill McCollum, the GOP frontrunner in that race.

As has been pointed out by pundits, the only way Crist can win is to switch parties or run as an Independent, which he has said he would not do.

While the primary is several months away (August 24th), it seems that former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio is running away with Republican nomination for United States Senate over Gov. Charlie Crist:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters in the state finds Rubio leading Crist 49% to 37%. Three percent (3%) prefer another candidate, and 11% are undecided.

The new numbers mark a stunning turnaround. Crist was the strong favorite when he first announced for the Senate seat, and Rubio was viewed as a long-shot challenger.

But Crist’s support fell from 53% in August to 49% in October. By December, the two men were tied at 43% apiece.

Rubio leads Crist by 17 points among men and by seven among women. He also carries 52% of the conservative GOP vote, while moderates prefer Crist.

Crist is still viewed favorably by GOP voters (62% approve), but they disapprove of his overall performance (56% disapprove) as Governor.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Marco Rubio beating Florida Governor Charlie Crist, though inside the margin of error, in the Republican primary for United States Senate, and the leading Democrat in a prospective general election match-up:

Former State House Speaker Marco Rubio has squeaked past Gov. Charlie Crist in the race for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, leading 47 - 44 percent and topping Gov. Crist on trust, values and conservative credentials, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Rubio beats the leading Democrat, South Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek, 44 - 35 percent in a general election matchup, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Crist leads Meek 48 - 36 percent.

Crist’s lead over Rubio was well into double-digits at different points last year. Crist has been taken some hits over his support of stimulus spending, though he remains popular in the state. Rubio has come on strong and is seen as the conservative candidate.

Primary voters don’t head to the polls until August 24th, so we’re nowhere near the end of this race.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) has threatened to imprison an activist after she created a website critical of him:

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Grayson wrote a letter this week to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that the federal government imprison Republican activist Angie Langley for five years because of her website criticizing him.

The website, designed to raise money against Grayson, catalogues videos and news clippings that portray the provocative congressman in an unfavorable light. It courts donors to donate money to help elect his Republican challenger next year – collecting $3,725 to date.

Grayson accuses the activist of misrepresenting the fact that she’s a constituent of his (she lives outside his district).

“Ms. Langley has deliberately masqueraded as a constituent of mine, in order to create the false appearance that she speaks for constituents who don’t support me,” Grayson wrote in the letter.

(You can read Grayson’s complete letter to Holder here.)

It’s awfully ironic that Grayson is demanding to silence one of his critics, given his history of red-meat rhetoric against a host of powerful Republicans. Earlier this month, he told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews he wished Dick Cheney would “STFU.”

Rasmussen is out with new polling from Florida that shows Marco Rubio pulling even with Gov. Charlie Crist in the primary for the Republican nomination for United States Senate:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters finds Crist and Rubio each with 43% of the vote. Five percent (5%) prefer another candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided.

Crist’s support has fallen from 53% in August to 49% in October. Rasmussen Reports noted at the time, “The fact that Crist has fallen below 50% in a primary against a lesser known opponent suggests potential vulnerability.”

Rubio’s name recognition has grown in recent months and he is now viewed Very Favorably by 34% of Likely Primary Voters. That’s up from 18% in August. As his name recognition increased, Rubio’s support in the polls has jumped from 31% in August to 43% today.

Crist, well known throughout the state, has seen his ratings go in the opposite direction. Just 19% now have a Very Favorable opinion of him, a figure that represents a double digit decline since August.

This should come as no surprise. The Club for Growth has endorsed Marco Rubio in his bid for Florida’s open seat in the United State Senate:

“Marco Rubio is the real deal, one of the brightest young stars in American politics today, and a proven champion of economic liberty,” said Club President Chris Chocola. “He is a dynamic spokesman for the principles of limited government and economic freedom, and he will make a fantastic Senator.”

Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2008, and was elected to the Republican leadership as Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and finally, Speaker of the House. Rubio is an advocate of lower federal spending, tax relief and tax reform, union members’ right to a secret ballot, and market-driven energy and environmental solutions.

Rubio’s Republican primary opponent is Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who supported President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus, proposed a state “cap-and-trade” energy program, and this summer broke his pledge not to sign any state tax increases.

“Charlie Crist has repeatedly joined with big government liberals on major economic issues facing America today, from taxes to spending to cap-and-trade,” Chocola said. “He represents the wrong direction for our economy and our nation.”

Rubio has gained ground on Crist in recent polls, however, he still has a long way to go to catch up.

During a recent interview with Wolf Biltzer, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), a candidate for the state’s open Senate seat, claimed he didn’t endorse the stimulus bill:

Surprising, considering that Crist signed a letter along with several other Governors from around the country stating their support for the stimulus bill, which was funded entirely on the backs of future taxpayers.

Crist told the media back in May that he would have voted for the stimulus bill had he been in the Senate at the time of its passage.

H/T: Below the Beltway