"There are two parts to this story:
"The first one is the celebration of Marco Rubio as our party's nominee. Never in our party's history have we witnessed a 65-plus point swing in a statewide campaign involving two well-known candidates. Kudos to him. Marco has risen to become a darling of Republicans nationwide and is the heavy favorite to become a U.S. senator before the age of 40.
"The second story involves an ill-advised judgment call made by our governor, who had heretofore enjoyed a remarkable success story as a leader of our party.Years from now as he evaluates his life's choices, good and bad, he will conclude (for a multitude of reasons) that this was definitely one of those he wished he could take back."
-- Al Cardenas
former Florida Republican Party chairman
"He's played this masterfully, going back to Senate Bill 6. He got the maximum publicity. But as the sun sets on today, the governor is going to have a credibility problem."
-- Tom Lee
former Florida Senate president
Im very disappointed. I had hoped Gov. Crist would say, Im a Republican and Im going to run as a Republican.If I lose, Ill respect the wishes of the primary voters. Running for office should be about more than just winning. It should be about principles and standing up for what you believe in. Marco is going to be a great senator.
-- U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta
"I'm going to need a few days to re-evaluate things. I've gotten a lot of pressure to get in line. I have a lot of reservations about Rubio. I do not trust him. Just because you're a Republican, that doesn't work for me."
-- Jacob Engels
chairman, Florida Federation of Teenage Republicans
"The American people will continue to look down on the profession of politics if some politicians act in ways perceived as transparent efforts to preserve personal power."
-- Brian Darling,
director, U.S. Senate relations
The Heritage Foundation
"FEA invites the governor to speak with us and share his views when a group of FEA leaders and members interview candidates seeking FEAs recommendation for various offices. At this point, FEA has made only one recommendation in the Senate race, and thats Kendrick Meek in the Democratic primary."
-- Mark Pudlow
Florida Education Association
"When the governor's lips are moving, people should be concerned. This guy is not somebody you can trust. He's not the People's Governor anymore. He's Charlie Crist's governor.
"His lack of leadership in the last three years is part of the reason Florida's in the shape it's in today.
"It's noteworthy that he decided to be in St. Pete today when the Legislature is still in session."
-- Barney Bishop
president, CEO of Associated Industries of Florida
