Marco Rubio Statement on Martinez Resignation

Marco Rubio issued a statement today on the Mel Martinez resignation:

“Mel Martinez’s life is a testament to the boundless promise that exists in America, where a young Cuban exile can come to the United States without his parents and rise to become a Cabinet secretary and U.S. senator. As he looks ahead towards the next phase of his life, I wish him and his family all the best.

“As Governor Crist considers who he will appoint as Florida’s next U.S. senator, I urge him to take great care in his selection. Florida deserves an interim senator who will go to Washington and serve as a true check on President Obama’s push for more wasteful government spending, government-run health care and cap-and-trade. The last thing Florida needs is a U.S. senator that will stand with President Obama instead of challenging the wrong direction he is leading our country and offering constructive conservative solutions moving forward.”

Is that second paragraph a little dig at Crist who "stood with" Obama on the Porkulus bill and has "stood with" him on global warming until just recently? Could be.

I hope Crist takes Rubio's advice and appoints a true conservative, but somehow I doubt it. It all sounds like a backroom deal to me and I'm sure Crist already knows where he's going with this one, and I'm betting it is intended to work to Crist's advantage come election time. But, he could surprise me.

I hope so!

All Eyes on Florida: Martinez, Rubio, and Crist

All eyes on Florida today.

First read of the day is the wonderful profile of Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio at NRO; then we get word that Mel Martinez is to resign today. Martinez had already announced, of course, that he would not run for re-election, thus setting up the race for Senate between current Governor Charlie Crist and conservative Marco Rubio.

In addition, Charlie Crist is now changing his tune on global warming and Cap and Tax. Feeling the heat much, Governor Crist? Oh, Crist is outpolling and out fund-raising Rubio handily, but much of that can be attributed to name recognition and is likely to change. Rubio is actually the only conservative in that race.

Possibly feeling the heat from conservatives, Crist is altering his position on the issues. From the Miami Herald: "Under mounting criticism from fellow Republicans, Crist looks ready to cancel his climate-change summit and is backing away from advocating a 'cap-and-trade' energy policy."

Crist is apparently feeling the need to do whatever is politically expedient as opposed to Rubio who sticks to his principles and values. Crist concedes that cap 'n tax may in fact be a tax but then declines to say whether he still backs it or not. That makes it pretty clear to me that he does.

Crist could be feeling some pressure as Volusia County Republicans recently censured him for his support of Obama's stimulus plan, for his support of amnesy for illegals and for his failure to support Republican congressional candidates. The censure resolution can be read here. Palm Beach Republicans are considering a censure also. This follows a string of losses to Rubio in various straw polls.

As far as Martinez and his resignation, the Miami Herald has this:

'"It's a deeply personal decision that he will expand on later today. He decided it's time to move to another stage of his life,' said a source familiar with the situation. In an extraordinary turn of events, Gov. Charlie Crist, the leading Republican to replace Martinez in the U.S. Senate, will have the power to appoint someone to fill the remainder of his term. Sources say Crist won't appoint himself."

How will this affect the Senate race? Will those that bashed Palin for "quitting" say the same about Martinez? Stay tuned.

(Cross Posted at Not One Red Cent!)