Rubio Crushes Crist by 32 Points in New Poll

A new poll from Public Policy Polling offers a snapshot at how far Gov. Charlie Crist is behind in his bid for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.

Rubio now leads Crist 60-28, including a staggering 71-17 lead with conservatives. Crist has a 49-36 advantage with party moderates, but they account for just 31 percent of likely primary voters compared to 65 percent who describe themselves as conservative, Public Policy Polling noted in their release.

Nor is Crist in good shape if he decides to forgo the Senate bid for a second term as governor. Underscoring how popular Attorney General Bill McCollum has become in the GOP, he beats Crist 49-35 if the governor decided to keep his current job.

Crists team is dismissing the polls significance.

"Ultimately, elections are about choices: this election will come down to the choice between an honest public servant with a strong conservative record in Charlie Crist and a Miami lobbyist-politician Marco Rubio, who has traded on his connections for everything from $135 haircuts to fat lobbying deals, said Andrea Saul from Crists Senate campaign, Charlie Crist will win this race and win it decisively."