Crist To Engage Rubio

Buffeted by weeks of negative press and a newly threatening rival from the right, FL Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) campaign will step up direct engagements with his opponent, insiders tell OnCall.

Crist will attack former FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), citing his rival's failure to advance some conservative causes while leading the state House, for spending excessively while in the Speaker's office and for dragging his feet on immigration legislation that many Republicans favored.

"We're now running a campaign, and it's one where this campaign will aggressively talk about the governor and his record and his vision heading to Washington as a candidate for the Senate, and we will aggressively talk to voters about our opponent's record, a record that was eight years in the state legislature, a record that has not been discussed to date," said Eric Eikenberg, Crist's new campaign manager.

"Over the last five to six months, the governor has been focused on governing and our opponent's been running around the state because he doesn't have an office," Eikenberg said.
Meanwhile, Rubio "has had five to six months of the ability to go around and say whatever he'd like, and that's now changing."

The new offensive will come after Rubio won backing from the conservative Club for Growth. The group has opposed Crist for his support of the stimulus measure passed earlier this year.

Crist appeared at a rally with Pres. Obama to voice support for the bill, a meeting that will likely be replayed in Rubio's campaign ads. Crist's embrace of Obama at the Fort Myers event is referred to among top GOP operatives as "the picture."

Crist backers have been surprised by the ferocity of Rubio's onslaught. Though polls still show Crist with a double-digit lead, Rubio has cut his deficit significantly. In the latest Quinnipiac Univ. poll, conducted 10/12-18, Crist leads by 15, down from a 29-point advantage he enjoyed in the school's 8/12-17 survey.

"The Crist campaign hasn't been as organized as it should have been," said one Florida Republican unaffiliated with either campaign. "They've been focusing on fundraising -- which is exactly what they should be doing at this point -- but didn't have the infrastructure in place to deal with rapid response and proactive messaging."

"As in all cases with campaigns, there comes a point where you engage, and I believe that the governor is going to start talking about everybody's records," said Jim Greer, the FL GOP chair and close Crist ally.

Crist campaign aides did not say whether they would engage in an immediate round of paid media, but one consultant hinted that option is on the table. Campaigns are about differences, the consultant said, and eventually they will become apparent.

In response to Rubio's rise, Crist has brought on a new campaign team, including campaign manager Eikenberg, a Florida campaign veteran, and communications director Andrea Saul, a former top communications officer at the RNC.

(REID WILSON)