Diaz-Balart Brothers Mysteriously Retract Endorsement of Charlie Crist

It's no secret that Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart are, in congressional Republican terms, more moderate guys. So it didn't raise many eyebrows when they endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate back in July over fellow Miami-Dade Cuban Republican Marco Rubio. They did practically the same thing in 2004, endorsing...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

December 22, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

It's no secret that Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart are, in congressional Republican terms, more moderate guys. So it didn't raise many eyebrows when they endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate back in July over fellow Miami-Dade Cuban Republican Marco Rubio. They did practically the same thing in 2004, endorsing Bill McCollum over Mel Martinez.

But now they've retracted their support for Crist. The reason: "We take our endorsements seriously, but the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative," Lincoln Diaz-Balart said.

How vague.

Though, this doesn't mean they brothers are going to endorse Rubio. Their spokesman tells Naked Politics that they don't plan on endorsing anyone. Miami-Dade's other Republican Rep, Ileana Ros-Lehtinene has also previously announced she won't endorse anyone, not even in the general election, despite the fact Rubio started his political career as an intern in her office.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.