Crist, Rubio trade zingers in GOP Senate race

It was a day of posturing and zingers in the U.S. Senate race Wednesday, as GOP primary opponents Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio each sought to portray himself as the job-saving, limited government advocate and his opponent as the big spender.

Rubio made the most news, launching the first TV ad of his campaign, emphasizing his opposition to President Barack Obama.

He got dinged, however, by a news report linking him to $250 million in earmark spending while he was in the state Legislature, which handed Crist an easy weapon against him.

Meanwhile, Crist was using the power of his office -- and some tax money -- to enhance his reputation as a tax-cutter. He flew around the state for bill signing ceremonies in five cities for a law to delay or prevent a steep hike in unemployment compensation business taxes.

Along the way, mentioning the newspaper story, he referred to Rubio as "Earmark Rubio," and issued a campaign pledge not to seek any earmark spending while in the Senate, and to support a balanced budget constitutional amendment.

"Unlike Earmark Rubio, who only claims to be against special interest pork projects, having vetoed a record $459 million in earmarks, I have the record to prove I will follow through," Crist said in a campaign statement.

Rubio responded that Crist, as governor, had declined to veto most of the spending projects attributed to Rubio. The Rubio campaign cited a 2008 letter Crist wrote Rubio congratulating him on one of the projects, $80 million for a human genomics project at the University of Miami.

"Governor Charlie Crist's hypocrisy was on full display," said the Rubio statement.

Crist flew on a state plane from Tallahassee to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami to sign the bill, even though he had already signed it into law last week.

The governor's office and state Department of Management Services couldn't provide figures Wednesday for the cost of the trip, but said it was paid for entirely by the state even though Crist finished the day with a campaign fundraiser in Miami Wednesday night.

The Democrat Crist or Rubio will likely face in the general election also claimed some good news Wednesday. A new poll showed U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek losing to either Crist or Rubio, but only narrowly to Rubio.

The Public Policy Polling survey showed Rubio beating Meek 44 percent to 39 percent, with a 3.4-point error margin. Crist led Meek 46-33 percent.

Democrats trumpeted the narrow Meek-Rubio margin. Meek campaign manager Abe Dyk said it's because, "Our opponents are putting their fight over philosophy and the future of their political party ahead of the people of this state."

On Tuesday, the same firm released a survey of likely Republican voters showing Rubio with a whopping 60-28 lead over Crist in the primary race.

Crist's campaign questioned the accuracy of the surveys, however, noting that the North Carolina-based firm is Democratic-oriented and uses automated dialing rather than human callers. The firm says it has been cited for accuracy in its swing-state polls.

The bill Crist signed will forestall an April 1 jump in the unemployment tax all employers must pay, from $8 per employee to $100. It calls for the state to borrow $2.2 billion from the federal government during the next two years to reduce the payments.

Lawmakers hope when it comes time to pay back the money, the economy will have improved and the number of people collecting unemployment will have decreased. U.S. Labor Department figures showed Florida's unemployment tied the historical record, 11.9 percent in January.

Crist said the bill will save $1 billion for Florida businesses. "It's about jobs, jobs, jobs, doing what's right and putting more of the people's money back into their pockets."

Asked whether the bill might only delay the tax increase, Crist replied, "Our concern has to be with the here and the now. ... People need relief right now."

Rubio's ad consists solely of Rubio, casually dressed, speaking into the camera, plus brief scenes of Rubio with his wife and four children.

Instead of the typical biographical ad candidates sometimes use to introduce themselves, it emphasizes his campaign theme that the race is a history-making contest with America's future at stake, casting Obama as the villain.

It doesn't mention Rubio's history in government, as state House speaker, a local government lobbyist in Miami and a city commissioner.

Without mentioning Crist, it underscores Rubio's contention that Crist has been too allied with Obama, particularly on the federal economic stimulus plan.

Unless the nation curtails the federal deficit, ends "disastrous stimulus spending" and defeats terrorism, he says, "My children and yours will become the first generation of Americans to inherit a country worse off than before."

The Rubio campaign wouldn't say how much money it's spending to buy time for the ad, but it's running across the state on the Fox network.