California Conservative

I suspect that this will be the big political news of the day. This morning, I got an e-letter update from the Rubio for Senate campaign announcing Rep. Paul Ryan has endorsed Marco Rubio’s campaign for the U.S. Senate:

Miami, FL – U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio today announced that he has earned the endorsement of Congressman Paul Ryan (WI-01).

Making today’s announcement, Congressman Ryan said, “In the coming years, America faces critical decisions on government spending, taxes and entitlements that will require idea-driven leaders. Marco Rubio has proven he is exactly the type of consistent, principled conservative the Republican Party needs to ensure the relationship between the federal government and the individual is one that maximizes freedom and prosperity.

“Marco’s record of conservative leadership offers convincing evidence that he will hold Washington accountable, prevent government from wasting our tax dollars and lead a new generation of Republicans offering bold, innovative solutions to the challenges our nation faces in the years ahead.”

Welcoming Ryan’s endorsement, Rubio commented, “Paul Ryan has become one of the Republican Party’s brightest stars because of his willingness to tackle today’s policy challenges with innovative and compelling conservative ideas. Paul Ryan’s willingness to stand up for his principles and offer real solutions to our nation’s challenges has made him one of the GOP’s intellectual giants and a leader taxpayers can depend on to look after them and their hard-earned dollars. I look forward to working with Paul in Washington to promote freedom, protect taxpayers and show why Republicans are the party of ideas.”

This isn’t a run-of-the-mill, milquetoast endorsement. When Congressman Ryan says that Rubio is “exactly the type of consistent, principled conservative the Republican Party needs to ensure the relationship between the federal government and the individual is one that maximizes freedom and prosperity”, he’s telling Florida’s GOP activists that Marco Rubio is the opposite of Charlie Crist’s go-along-to-get-along brand of politics.

This is another setback for Crist that he can’t afford. He’s clearly lost momentum. His campaign is stagnating and atrophying seemingly daily. Conversely, Marco Rubio’s campaign is gaining momentum and credibility. The trajectories of the two campaigns couldn’t be more different.

Paul Ryan is one of the conservative movement’s rising stars. His participation in the TEA Party Movement, coupled with his policymaking abilities, make him a man of gravitas. Don’t be surprised if he’s someday part of a presidential ticket.

Ryan’s endorsement of Marco Rubio sends this message to fiscal conservatives: Marco’s one of us. He’s a man to be taken seriously.

If Marco can keep adding endorsements like this, his fundraising will get easier, his name recognition will grow rapidly and he’ll open up an outside-the-margin-of-error lead over Gov. Crist. If that happens, it wouldn’t surprise me if Gov. Crist quits the race.

That’s why I’m moving this primary into the Leans Rubio category.

Technorati Tags: Paul Ryan, Endorsements, Marco Rubio, Party Of Ideas, Conservatism, Fiscal Restraint, GOP Primary, Charlie Crist, GOP, Election 2010

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 9:59 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Conservatism, Election 2010. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.