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Cornyn on Crist v. Rubio Last Week: "This is something Florida Republicans are going to have to work out."

11:44 AM, May 12, 2009 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
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NRSC chairman John Cornyn has said repeatedly that he reserves the right to endorse candidates in Republican primaries, but last week he told the St. Petersburg Times that he expected the NRSC would stay out of the Florida race:

Marco Rubio [joined] the race this week, and Cornyn said he has talked to both him and Crist, and he does not expect the NRSC to take sides. But he also said he will do everything he can to keep that seat.

When Buzz suggested Crist was the state's most popular politician, Cornyn said, "I've seen his numbers and they are pretty impressive. But this is something Florida Republicans are going to have to work out."

More by John McCormack

But today the NRSC endorsed Crist. Does this endorsement mean that the NRSC will spend campaign funds against Crist's conservative challenger Marco Rubio? The folks at the NRSC press office don't have a response to that question at this time. John J. Miller thinks it would be smart for the D.C. Republicans to spend their money against Democrats rather than conservative Republicans:

Is Crist more electable than Rubio? Arguably. Is Rubio nevertheless capable of winning a general election next year? Certainly. This is a contest that the NRSC should sit out, as Florida Republicans decide for themselves what to do. Instead of trying to beat conservatives, the NRSC should save its resources for defeating Democrats.

Rubio responds to Crist's announcement with this ad: