Limbaugh Likes Rubio, Not So Much Crist
Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh is a big fan of ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R). His feelings about Gov. Charlie Crist (R) aren't so positive.
In an interview this morning on a Tallahassee radio station, Limbaugh stopped short of endorsing Rubio's uphill battle against Crist in the GOP SEN primary, but he came pretty close.
"I like Rubio. I've never met him, nor have I met Crist," Limbaugh said in a clip circulated by the Rubio campaign. "In the Republican Party particularly, there is a fatigue with RINOs and moderate Republicans. You can see the crowds Sarah Palin is drawing."
"Now Republicans, the only chance they ever have of winning national elections is to go conservative, and I think that's what's brewing out there," Limbaugh went on. "The Republican Party is going to be looking at this Crist-Rubio primary, because it's going to be a pretty stark contrast."
Rubio has positioned himself on Crist's right, but lately Crist has been pushing back, asserting that he is more conservative than he's getting credit for, and that Rubio has more flaws in his record than he has been held to account for.
Crist also suggested that those on the right who oppose him do so because he is not angry enough, citing a recent DailyKos poll that found Rubio ahead among GOP voters who don't believe Pres. Obama was born in the U.S.
"It's hard to be more concervative than I am on issues - though there are different ways stylistically to communicate that - I'm pro-life, I'm pro-gun, I'm pro-family, and I''m anti tax," Crist said in an interview with the St. Pete Times' Adam Smith this week. "I don't know what else you're supposed to be, except maybe angry too."
That irked Limbaugh as well: "I notice that Crist is out there now, 'Hey, what do you mean, who says I'm not conservative? I'm pro-life, I'm pro-gun, I don't know what more I have to be except angry.' That's not going to sit well," Limbaugh said Wednesday morning.
Rubio is still racking up endorsements from the right, but Crist maintains a lead in the polls. We'll see if backing from Limbaugh, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), the Club for Growth and ex-AR Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) can be enough for Rubio to climb what remains a very high hurdle.
(REID WILSON)