Rubio Ratchets Up Lead, Crist Slumps in Fla.

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Marco Rubio widened his lead over independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek according to a Sunshine State News nightly tracking poll. While Crist led Meek 29-22 on Oct. 13, the governor’s lead has now slumped to 27-23.

Crist’s decline can be attributed to a historic tendency of voters to gravitate to Democratic and Republican candidates as Election Day approaches, as well as his sub-par performance in the final debate, during which he was hammered with questions about his departure from the Republican party as well as his shifting stands on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

Another downside for Crist is the actual ballot. While Rubio and Meek appear first and second on the list of candidates, the governor’s name appears ninth out of 10, among four others running with no party affiliation.