No Favorite in the Florida Republican Senate Primary

Bettors on Intrade are giving both Gov. Charlie Crist (REP.FL.SENATE2010.CRIST) and Marco Rubio (REP.FL.SENATE2010.RUBIO) a 50% chance of becoming their party's next Senate candidate. Marco Rubio continues to grow in popularity and if Charlie Crist doesn't do something to win back conservatives, he could find himself losing a primary a lesser known candidate in a state where he is the Governor. The latest Rasmussen poll of the race shows how dire the situation is for him right now.

Governor Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio are now tied in the 2010 race for the Republican Senate nomination in Florida.

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 angered many conservatives in the state when he embraced President Obama’s $787-billion economic stimulus plan. While the Republican establishment has endorsed Crist, many prominent GOP conservatives including Mike Huckabee, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint and former Bush adviser Karl Rove are backing Rubio.

Marco Rubio is on a roll right now and just needs to continue focusing on campaigning and spreading his conservative message. He got a nice boost in recognition and publicity when Doug Hoffman the conservative candidate was almost able to win NY-23RD Congressional District. Rubio definitely has the momentum on his side right now and considering how early it is in the race, he has a very good chance of winning an election against a very formidable candidate.