Austin Cassidy, The Jacksonville Observer – Aug 20th, 2009

Marco Rubio scored a pretty major win in his underdog campaign for the U.S. Senate, landing on the cover of this week’s issue of the National Review, a well-respected conservative newsmagazine.

Rubio certainly faces an uphill battle by running against a sitting Governor with proven fundraising muscle, but the article explains that Rubio won’t actually have to match Crist dollar for dollar. The author correctly suggest that in a low-turnout Republican primary… anything can happen.

The article opens…

“Florida governor Charlie Crist is running for the Senate, and he isn’t supposed to lose — let alone lose in the Republican primary. He enjoys a high approval rating, has a history of success among voters, and raises campaign cash with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane. His main opponent in the GOP primary is Marco Rubio, a 38-year-old Miami native who quotes Snoop Dogg lyrics on his Twitter account. On paper, it looks like a mismatch between an unbeatable juggernaut and a doomed also-ran.”

“Yet Crist may be vulnerable: He warmly embraced President Obama’s stimulus spending and is one of the most liberal politicians in the Republican firmament. Rubio is among the brightest young stars on the right. Their contest could become the sleeper race of 2010.”

This national attention may help motivate groups like the Club for Growth to engage this primary race with some television advertising dollars.  Rubio’s other secret weapon might be Jeb Bush, who speaks glowingly of him in several quotes.

The article in the Review also make reference to Rubio’s use of new media tools like YouTube and Twitter, which he has employed with great success…

“Thanks to YouTube, Rubio’s farewell address last year probably has been seen by more viewers than any other speech in the history of the Florida statehouse. That may sound like faint praise, and Rubio’s clip doesn’t compete with web sensations such as Susan Boyle or Obama Girl. But he’s gone about as viral as any state legislator can hope to go without setting his pants on fire. More recently, he has taken advantage of Twitter. He comments on everything from the state of his campaign to how long it takes his wife to get ready for a night out.”