Crist, in D.C. raising money, insists he's focused on 'jobs, jobs, jobs'

Gov. Charlie Crist is in D.C. today raising money at Holland & Knight but insisted he is also focused on the dreadful state of the Florida economy, reinforced by a fresh report about 11.2 percent unemployment.

"I just think it's so important to stay focused on jobs, jobs, jobs," the U.S. Senate hopeful said, adding a pitch for the special legislative session on SunRail. "I think we're on a very good path to hopefully be able to deliver that because that would mean a lot of jobs for our people."

Since it is such a pressing issue, should you be back in Florida instead of raising money? "Well, I'm dealing with it here, too. I'm about to meet with Sen. LeMieux to talk about that. He's our main contact for us dealing with the U.S. Department of Transportation. So I think it's all hands on deck."

Crist said he's not ready to debate GOP challenger Marco Rubio but will "next year." He said, "I have no real interest in doing it at this point and time. I think what we need to do is continue workin' hard and fighting for the people. You know, I've got a day job."

We hear Crist is off to New York later today for another fundraiser.

A closer look at the Daily Kos' U.S. Senate GOP primary poll

The liberal Daily Kos blog has released a poll with some intriguing results in Florida's Republican U.S. Senate race between Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio. Crist leads 47 percent to 37 percent among likely Republican voters, according to the poll, which is bad for the governor for two reasons:

A) That's a 43-percentage-point swing in 10 months.

B) The once-wildly popular Crist is below 50 percent.

If Crist switched parties to become a Democrat or an independent, the poll suggests he would do better.

Poll: Marco Rubio closing gap on Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov race tied

Robo poll from liberal DailyKos and Research 2000: Gov. Charlie Crist leads Rubio 47 percent to 37 percent among Republicans. In January, Crist led 57 percent to 11 percent. Among all voters, Crist beats Kendrick Meek 50-33, while Meek beats Rubio 38-30. Birthers prefer Rubio 54-31.

These trendlines are bleak for Crist, and there's little chance of him surviving. Remember, Rubio hasn't spent a dime on media yet. This is all grassroots driven, and the teabaggers are engaged, angry, and looking for the next Scozzafava. Crist is in their crosshairs, and the governor has been flopping all over the place hoping to stem this growing tide against him, and failing. Note -- 50 percent of Republicans still don't know who Rubio is. The more he raises his name ID, the better he does. 

The Fix calls 10 the most important number of the day.

 

5 Ways Charlie Crist can beat Marco Rubio

Almost daily, some supposedly savvy Florida political operative insists Charlie Crist has already lost the U.S. Senate race. It's a crazy suggestion considering Gov. Crist is leading Republican rival Marco Rubio by about 20 points in recent polls and so far has four times as much money to spend in the GOP primary.

But Crist, 53, is in a free-fall among likely Republican voters, say Crist supporters and detractors alike, while Rubio's trajectory is heading straight up. Crist's credibility among hard-core Republicans is practically gone, they claim, while the contest's ever-growing national attention ensures Rubio won't be as overwhelmingly outspent.

It's nine months before the primary — way too early for predictions. What's clear, though, is that Crist's long-held image as a man with remarkable gut instincts for politics and people is shot. It took him way too long to wake up to Rubio, and then he kept handing ammunition to critics, such as lamely insisting he did not endorse the $787 billion stimulus package that he campaigned for.

Governor, if you're reading this, here are five things you should do to fight Rubio's insurgent threat:

Charlie Crist mum on his Marco Rubio shots

Gov. Charlie Crist's campaign and acolytes have stepped up their pressure on his Republican U.S. Senate opponent, Marco Rubio. But not the governor himself.

Asked why his campaign is going negative now, Crist said "No reason. No reason. People deserve to know the facts."

What will you be telling people?

"We'll have to wait and see," Crist said.

Marc Caputo, Times/Herald

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Sen. George LeMieux raising coin for would-be Sen. Charlie Crist

Much of Charlie Crist's old campaign staff already is on the payroll of Sen. George LeMieux, so it only makes sense that LeMieux is now actively raising money to help Crist take over his temporary Senate seat:

You are invited to a Luncheon honoring Governor Charlie Crist Candidate for Florida United States Senate with Special Guests:GOVERNOR BOB MARTINEZ AND SENATOR GEORGE LEMIEUX Hosted by:PHIL BAKER-�SHENK, KATHRYN LEHMAN, ROB BRADNER, DAVE ROBINSON, RICH GOLD, & DAVID WHITESTONE  Friday, November 20th 12:00 - 1:30 PM THE LAW OFFICES OF HOLLAND & KNIGHT2099 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW, SUITE 100 WASHINGTON, DC 20006 HOST $2,500 / SPONSOR $1,500 / GUEST $1,000Please RSVP to Lisa Spies...

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Escambia GOP chairwoman apologizes for having Crist as speaker

UPDATE: Chairwoman Moore stressed to Buzz that there is "overwhelming support for Charlie Crist" on the Escambia REC, and that the e-mail was sent only to about five vocal Marco Rubio supporters who were complaining about Crist being the featured speaker. She released a press release that we pasted into comments.

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Nothing better illustrates Charlie Crist's sorry standing among the activist GOP base than the following e-mail sent to Panhandle Republicans by Escambia County GOP Chairwoman Susan Moore. Basically, she is apologizing for having the sitting governor and leader of the Florida GOP address Escambia's Lincoln Day dinner and assuring them if they're willing to sit through Crist, they'll have a better shot at bringing in Marco Rubio down the line.

Dear Rubio supporters: 
I wanted to take a moment to dispel some grumblings I've heard recently about the ECREC's Lincoln Day Dinner and put your mind at ease.  First let me say that the ECREC is holding the Lincoln Day Dinner as a fundraiser exclusively for the ECREC.  We were sort of "handed" Governor Crist as our speaker.  He is, after all, the sitting governor of our state and having him as our speaker is neither an overt nor tacit endorsement of his campaign for Senate against Marco Rubio.   
None--absolutely none--of the proceeds go to Governor Crist, nor to his campaign for Senate, nor to the RPOF.  This is a fundraiser for the local Republican Party alone.  Buying a ticket to the Lincoln Day Dinner, even though Governor Crist is the speaker, is a donation to the local party.  We need everyone's support of this event.  Keep in mind that I really want to follow up on this event by having Marco as a featured guest speaker for a huge, elegant dinner event in the spring.  However, if this event is not successful, I will be loathe to put one ounce of effort into planning any other events featuring other speakers, and sadly that includes Marco Rubio. 

Rubio stays after Crist: Let's debate

Marco Rubio really wants to debate Charlie Crist. He has been asking for months. Now again in a letter:

Dear Eric (Eikenberg):

Unfortunately, Governor Crist has shown no interest in debating Marco thus far. Instead, the media has widely reported on behind-the-scenes maneuvering by your campaign to attack Marco and his record. Today, the National Journal’s On Call reports that, “FL Gov. Charlie Crist will step up his direct engagements with his opponent. … Crist will attack former FL House Speaker Marco Rubio.”

Marco welcomes the challenge and invites Governor Crist to reconsider his reluctance to directly engage in face-to-face debates. In light of Governor Crist’s “governing” commitments, we would be happy to work with you to formalize a debate schedule that will help our campaigns rise above the typical 30-second commercials, slick slogans and bumper stickers that define too many of our country’s political contests.

Respectfully,

Pat Shortridge, Senior Advisor, Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate

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Video: Charlie Crist. Barack Obama. And the truth

Charlie Crist supported the stimulus package. And he didn't. He was aware of President Obama's whereabouts in Florida. And he wasn't. That's his story. And he's sticking to it. -- Marc Caputo

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Rubio campaign like Obama campaign, LeMieux says

The Buzz caught up with Sen. George LeMieux today and he talked about various issues (see jump) before the topic turned to Gov. Charlie Crist's campaign problems, chiefly his association with President Obama's stimulus bailout. But LeMieux promptly turned it into a critique of Marco Rubio.

"Being governor means you have to make choices. And you have to make decisions," LeMieux said, heading into a GOP lunch at the U.S. Capitol. "It’s very easy to be a critic and the speaker now is not in office. He wasn’t there when the state was facing the challenges of the huge recession and the stimulus. He didn’t have to vote on that. All of the folks that were in his administration voted for the stimulus money. And I suspect if he were there, he could vote for it. This is just like President Obama being able to be against the war in Iraq because he didn’t have to vote on it. There’s a lot of parallels to draw between Speaker Rubio and President Obama in the way they are running their race and in their ability to throw bombs without ever having to lead because they are out of office."

Replies Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos: "As Charlie Crist was endorsing Obama's stimulus, Marco Rubio was in the good company of Florida's entire Republican congressional delegation in opposing it. With Charlie Crist's record of embracing the stimulus, cap-and-trade schemes and tax increases, there is no greater parallel in this primary than the one between him and President Obama."