Beware of the Charlie Crist Effect.
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Sen. Marco Rubio created a stir in the press recently by verbally attacking Donald Trump. This is a desperate attack as Super Tuesday approaches. He doesn’t seem to understand voters believe Washington is broken and no longer trusts professional politicians, such as himself, and want an outsider to straighten out the mess.
The fact is, as Super Tuesday comes and goes, Sen. Rubio will not have won a single primary. The polls clearly show this. Nor will he win in Michigan on March 8th, or Ohio and Florida on March 15th. By losing his home state to Trump, his campaign is effectively over. Should Trump win it all, it is unlikely he will use the junior senator from Florida in his administration.
Like Sen. Cruz, Sen. Rubio is burning a lot of bridges and will find himself out in the political cold, which I refer to as the “Charlie Crist Effect.” As you will remember, Crist rose through the Republican ranks in Florida reaching the Governor’s mansion. His ambition got the better of him when he ran for the vacant senate seat in Florida, losing to Rubio of all people. Crist was forced out of politics and is only now considering a run at an opening Congressional seat.
The Crist Effect is now happening to Sen. Rubio who also sought to rise too fast and is getting slapped down. There is already talk in Republican circles that Sen. Rubio will make a run for Florida governor. The problem though, by burning bridges, the senator is killing his chances for governor. Attorney General Pam Bondi, both liked and respected in Florida, will likely win the governor’s mansion, thereby leaving Sen. Rubio out in the cold.
Rubio’s gamble to attack Trump is understandable as he is desperate for votes. Unfortunately it is going to backfire in his face in a very big way.
Keep the Faith!
