Though he had nothing but praise for Sarah Palin, a spokesperson for Marco Rubio told TPMDC this afternoon that Rubio has no plans to to meet up with Palin when she’s in Florida hawking her bestselling book next week.
“It’s unlikely,” Rubio spokesperson Alex Burgos said when asked about a Rubio-Palin joint appearance during the three days Palin will spend crisscrossing Florida starting Monday. “The plan is for Marco to be in Miami with his family for Thanksgiving next week.”
Burgos said that Rubio and Palin haven’t spoken so far during Senate primary, but hastened to add that Rubio has nothing but good things to say about the former Alaska governor. “Marco has a positive opinion of her and what she’s done in Alaska,” Burgos said of Palin. “She is definitely someone who’s support he’d very much appreciate.”
Palin has yet to make an endorsement in the GOP senate primary, which pits Rubio against Gov. Charlie Crist. The race is swiftly becoming the next battlefield in the GOP civil war that played out most dramatically in the NY-23 special election early this month. In that race, Palin backed the Conservative Party candidate over the GOP nominee, claiming that the Republican in the race wasn’t conservative enough for the modern Republican Party. Many think the move helped lead to the eventual demise of the Republican’s campaign shortly before the election.
In the Florida race, many of the same groups that backed the Conservative Party candidate in NY-23 are now supporting Rubio.
Earlier today, Hotline On Call‘s Felicia Sonmez caught up with Crist to ask him about his take on a potential Palin endorsement in the race. From Sonmez’ report on the encounter:
[I]nstead of hitching himself to a rising star in the GOP base, Crist simply noted Palin’s apparent lack of interest in the race. Her support “hasn’t been offered,” he said when asked if he would welcome her backing.
Pressed whether he’d accept the endorsement if Palin offered it, Crist declined to answer, shutting the door of his SUV and driving off.
Burgos said Rubio hasn’t reached out to Palin yet — but he was far more willing to talk about a Palin endorsement than Crist was.
“We obviously think she has a bright future in the Republican Party and would be an effective advocate for candidate like Marco,” Burgos said.
