No question—Rubio won Nova Southeastern debate on Tuesday

US Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R) debated US Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) and Gov. Charlie Crist (NPA) on Tuesday, and there’s no question Rubio won the debate. It’s true I support Rubio for the Senate. But it’s also true that I am harder on him than a candidate I don’t care about.

Rubio responded to every question in Rubio rapid fire mode, not mincing words and under absolutely  no circumstances backing down.

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Debate party guests applaud Rubio as Crist vows to ‘crash that tea party in Washington’

US Senate candidate Marco Rubio. [Republican Party of Duval County]A crowd of supporters converged at Mudville Grille in San Marco on Wednesday night to watch one of the most popular candidates in the GOP take on Gov. Charlie Crist (NPA) and Rep. Kendrick Meek (D). Of all the candidates, Rubio stood out for his clarity, his consistency and his core belief that government should get out of the way of the private sector.

Meek came off as more focused than Crist. The Democrat representative stuck to his talking points—the middle class and anti-Republicanism.

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Brief video shows Breitbart apparently endorsing Meek over Crist

Screen Snip/Marco Rubio addresses CPAC 2010. [Kay B. Day]Javier Manjarres at The Shark Tank is the man with the cam and the blog. I have to say he covers the ground when it comes to candidates and politicos. Now he’s managed to shoot new media mogul Andrew Breitbart in what is apparently an endorsement of Florida Democrat Kendrick Meek in the US Senate race—Meek when compared to Gov. Charlie Crist, that is. At the moment, former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio (GOP) is the frontrunner in the 3-way.

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NPA Crist seesaws on ObamaCare and gets Democrat endorsements

Could politics in Florida get more bizarre? Gov. Charlie Crist just got two endorsements from two Democrat legislators. The Palm Beach Post said, “State Sen.-elect Maria Sachs, Delray Beach, and State Rep. Darryl Rouson, District 55, based in St. Petersburg, praised Crist at the South County Civic Center before a crowd of about 100 voters who braved the rain to snack on bagels and meet the Republican-turned-Independent.”

Aside from a phantom knife in Rep. Kendrick Meek’s back, what’s wrong with that sentence from the newspaper?

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Rubio thanks GOP women, independent media in conference call

By Kay B. Day

Rubio spoke to a packed house in Jacksonville in the early days of his campaign. The Duval County Republican Women Club hosted the event. It was obvious the candidate offered the GOP an excellent opportunity for the US Senate.[Photo by Kay B. Day]Former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio is a busy man these days. In the last 24 hours he appeared on 3 major TV networks, held a press conference and dealt with former GOP rival for the US Senate Governor Charlie Crist’s switch to independent status. Rubio held a blogger conference Friday afternoon as he traveled.

Rubio remains unperturbed by Crist’s decision.

He said, “Nothing has changed as to what my campaign

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Putting Florida GOP financial dustup in context

By Kay B. Day

At the moment there’s a big dustup in Florida over spending by the state GOP officials. Former state party chair Jim Greer has been accused of wrongdoing and Gov. Charlie Crist has asked for a federal investigation. At issue is GOP party money, not taxpayer money.

Allegations against Greer are complicated, ranging from the manner in which donor funds were spent to the setup of a shell company by Greer’s executive director. Greer was allegedly majority owner of the fundraising company. And Greer's problems go far beyond tax return issues common in campaigns.

Because there is so much at stake in the 2012 elections—not just for the GOP but for the country as well—the negative attention creates political opportunity. And because media swings left, it's useful to put the whole controversy in context.

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Rubio vs. Crist vs. Meek matchup warrants close look at polls

By Kay B. Day

Gov. Charlie Crist (left) and former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio debated on Chris Wallace's Fox News Sunday March 28. Rubio prevailed.In the nation’s most watched US Senate race, there’s an obvious frontrunner. Former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio is walloping fellow GOPer Gov. Charlie Crist and Democrat Rep. Kendrick Meek.

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