While Jeb Bush excused himself from the Senate race after a few days of speculation, his endorsement could be a potential game changer in the Republican race for the nomination. So it doesn't bode well for frontrunner Charlie Crist that Jeb Bush Jr. sent his support to Marco Rubio. Rubio mentioned the endorsement on Twitter: "Proud to announce the endorsement of Jeb Bush Jr. He will be a great asset in our efforts to reach the next generation of GOP leadership."
Now multiple sources are reporting that former presidential wannabe and current Fox News host Mike Huckabee is planning to announce his support for Rubio in the next few weeks.
If the endorsement was supposed to be a secret, Huckabee wasn't careful about keeping it close. He sent out a message to his HuckPAC email list the included the line, "Your contribution of $5, $10, $25, or $50 will be invested in the candidates for Senate HuckPAC endorses. Candidates such as Marco Rubio of Florida."
Whoops. Huckabee would be paying Rubio back for Rubio's endorsement of the former Arkansas governor during the 2008 presidential primary.
Two thoughts:
Huckabee might be genuine in his endorsement, but anyone who supports Rubio gets the added benefit of pleasing the conservative base regardless, so maybe it's a bit self-serving to insert himself into the fray.
But if Rubio can shore up Cuban voters, the activist conservative wing, and make inroads among other Hispanic groups and younger Republican voters (what's left of them anyway), the primary could end up being a lot closer than first thought.