Rubio: “Let’s Get A New Establishment”

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R)
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Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, the insurgent conservative candidate in the Republican primary for Senate in 2010, is finding his voice as an anti-establishment candidate.

Rubio spoke to a local Republican audience in Panama City, and talked about his uphill fight against moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, who has the support of the GOP establishment. “If you are unhappy with the Republican establishment, then let’s get a new establishment,” he said.

Rubio also discussed why he’s running, saying that the only good reason to run for office is “something wrong in the world that you want to fix or something right in the world that you want to protect.”

Of course, Rubio’s chance to “get a new establishment” is still pretty low — a Quinnipiac poll from last month gave Crist a lead of 55%-26%. But for now, Rubio’s language reflects an awareness of the situation — and the sort of things that die-hard party activists like to hear.

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