i work with marco rubio when he was speaker. he put fourth things in the budget that i thought were questionable and that why -- and that's why i used the veto. he put in $800,000 for an astroturf field for a flag football field that he plays on in miami. he put in millions of dollars that he steered toward university and got a high-paying job there and millions to a hospital that ended up hiring him as a consultant. is that corrupt and wrong? it is clearly wrong in my view. he put in things for a friend of his that want to get business on the turnpike. i had to veto it three different times in the budget. people want public servants to serve you. that is how i have always conducted myself as governor, as attorney general, and as commissioner of education. that is how i will comport myself as united states senator. >> let's set the record straight -- these things are not true. i had nothing to do with the flag football field. >> you put $800,000 in the budget i had to veto a theme that is not true. he says i steered money and th

we mentioned marco rubio, the republican. the two others running, charlie crist, the independent there, and kendrick meek, the democrat, debating this morning. candy crowley is there, and she sets the stage for us. >> reporter: hey, t.j. and suzanne. a couple of hours, 9:00 a.m. eastern, we're having a debate here at the university of south florida in tampa. it is for the senatorial race here in florida. it's going to be a big one because it's got great characters. frankly, marco rubio, who's the new kind of it guy in the

this is for marco rubio you marco has accused of taking six different positions. you were originally opposed. it called for its repeal. at one time you said you would vote for it, then said that you misspoke. now your position seems to be that it should be fixed. are you for mr. obama's reform, are against it? >> i am against it. think we have to fix it. there are parts that are good, and parts that need to be changed. the parts that are good and that i think ought to remain are the fact that they take away what i would call the health insurance company discriminatory policy whereby if you have a pre- existing condition you do not get coverage. one of the other things i think is good is that it allows young people up to the age of 26 to be able to continue to be covered by their parents' policy. the things i do not like that need to be fixed are the fact that it takes about $500 billion from medicare advantage, particularly in a state like florida, that is bad. also, too much taxes, mandates, leading to the conclusion that it must be fixed and done correctly. my o

you're going to retire harry reid, you're going to elect marco rubio.g to elect rick scott. you're going to elect daniel webster, you're going to elect mr. rossi, you're going to put your team in place. that's what this moment is about. now, if you're not ready to do that, leave. because this is not what's happening for you. but if you are ready to do that, then you're in the right room. and we're grateful for your being here. mr. chairman, you know how to throw a rally, my friend. mr. chairman, i am honored to be back in your state. i am honored to spend some time with you and share the stage. i am very grateful for your leadership. you have to understand, this came at a very tough time for the party here in florida. he had his obligations, responsibilities, a tremendous state senator, but he took that side path to bring the party back to its rightful leadership position. he took that opportunity to reconnect this party to its grass roots. and, mr. chairman, we're very grateful for your leadership. we're very grateful. >> michael steele, chairman of th

that's the marco rubio retirement plan. rubio wants to raise the social security retirement age.means you will work harder and longer for your money. and rubio wants to cut benefits, it is already tough enough to make ends meet. >> i'm as bad a conservative as you can get. i'm a jeb bush republican. president bush, he is a leader of courage and conviction. i was impressed at governor palin being picked. i watched her speech today. i was very impressed. >> joy, isn't it a little dangerous for crist to call himself a jeb bush republican when jeb bush doesn't like him? >> that is back when he was a potential vice presidential contender with john mccain. i mean, he is really -- it is interesting -- >> jeb might say "excuse me" at some point. >> jeb is attacking him now because crist is attacking rubio on social security. >> let me ask you, how can that republican candidate, i just want to go -- is the republican party of florida -- is florida that right wing they would actually elect that guy governor on the right wing side? >> that is something that has astounded me from the beginni

that's the marco rubio retirement plan. rubio wants to raise the social security retirement age. that means you will work harder and longer for your money. and rubio wants to cut benefits, it is already tough enough to make ends meet. >> i'm as bad a conservative as you can get. i'm a jeb bush republican. president bush, he is a leader of courage and conviction. i was impressed at governor palin being picked. i watched her speech today. i was very impressed. >> joy, isn't it a little dangerous for crist to call himself a jeb bush republican when jeb bush doesn't like him? >> that is back when he was a potential vice presidential contender with john mccain. i mean, he is really -- it is interesting -- >> jeb might say "excuse me" at some point. >> jeb is attacking him now because crist is attacking rubio on social security. >> let me ask you, how can that republican candidate, i just want to go -- is the republican party of florida -- is florida that right wing they would actually elect that guy governor on the right wing side? >> that is something that has astounded me from the b

marco rubio and mr. charlie crist stand side-by-side in making sure the special interest and the super wealthy get their tax cut. i pointed out the fact that middle-class families under the income of two to $50,000 would have to pay $6,000 a year on that particular tax cut for those americans to get a tax cut. i am for middle-class tax cuts. i am for child credits. i am for tax cuts that will help people get back on their feet. they are advocating tax cuts for the super-wealthy and those that are privileged. we had a different economic times during the time those tax cuts were given. now, we are in a super deficit. if they believe in trickle-down economics. it will not work now. i'm protecting those that were part. >> turning to the federal deficit, non-partisan economists argue that to avoid medium or long-term federal bankruptcy, either taxes must be raised on all americans, where huge entitlement reforms must begin, beginning with so/security. -- social security. beginning with you, mr. charlie crist,

marco rubio raised another good point here. the fact that he is willing to go along with the tea party and everyone else on the radical right. >> he just called you governor wallace. take 15 seconds to respond. >> he stood in the schoolhouse door on this issue. >> could i just answer? >> no one fought harder for non art is in the state and i have. i also rise. [unintelligible] >> you stood firm on the issue of gay adoption and now you want to be the big cheerleader. >> if you want someone on the far right, marco rubio. someone on the far left, kendrick meet. >> we could go on all night but we have to live there. thank you all very much. it was a stimulating debate. weigh in on what you saw tonight abc.com. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> campaign coverage and tinges tomorrow night with campaign debates in ohio, nevada, and georgia. president obama appears at a political rally for maryland governor martin o'malley. live coverage begins at 8:00 p.

yesterday's florida senate debate, as kendrick meek and charlie crist, appeared to gang up on republican, marco rubio. at one point, crist demanded that rubio release his financial records, forcing rubio to play defense. >> my tax returns are public. i've gone well beyond the point of disclosure. people want to focus on the issues because they're wrong on the important issues. this country has a $13.5 trillion debt. >> he doesn't believe in transparency. i created open government in the governor's office in the first time in our state. >> i've had them in the audience. >> the way it is. welcome to the nfl. >> go ahead. >> i apologize. i've had this heckler going on for two minutes. >> he said i've only had hecklers in the audience. meek and crist trying to paint rubio as too conservative for florida. >> i have to be honest with myself. the republican party went so for right, it's exactly why marco rubio stayed there. the same reason i left. he wants to overturn -- listen to me, women watching. he wants to overturn roe versus wade. he does not want to fund stem cell research. >> florida has to diversi

marco rubio is a very scary individual.ecause he follows people like senator demint and dick cheney and others that are out there. and tonight he made a clear choice. he decided to hang on to tea party ideology versus standing with floridians who need help right now. >> you've been under pressure by some saying you should drop out of the race, because in this three-way race, you and charlie crystal get a majority vote, rubio will end up as a senator. what do you say to that? >> the reason people will not go out to vote for charlie crist and the reason i'm going to be the winner in florida. charlie crist is standing on a wet paper box when it comes down to his positions on the issues. the fact that he stood by and watched marco rubio rise from 30 points down, he had a chance to bailout. you can't count on charlie crist for not privatizing social security. you can't count on charlie crist when it comes to standing up for prochoice for women. i've stood up for public educators, veterans, men and women who are in uniform and th

but now we're finding our own and speaking out. >> ifill: marco rubio is your voice? absolutely. >> ifill: battles lines were drawn in a recent debate. crist versus rubio... >> you've been drinking too much tea, and it's just wrong. >> ifill: ... rubio versus crist... >> governor crist was a republican six months ago. now, he's changed his position on virtually every issue because he's trying to take away those democratic votes from kendrick meek. >> ifill: ... meek versus crist... >> charlie crist stands on a wet paper box as relates to the issues he stands for. you don't know where he is. >> ifill: meek visited six black churches last sunday, trying to rouse obama democrats. >> i need you to stand up like you've never stood up before. i need you to prove the pundits wrong. >> ifill: but midterm elections don't move voters like presidential elections, especially in florida this year, when there are so many choices. >> lehrer: and finally tonight, the analysis of shields and brooks-- syndicated columnist mark shields, "new york times" columnist david brooks. david, ho

we know why the governor's running as an independent, because he couldn't beat marco rubio.et's just put it that way. >> let me just ask the audience -- >> you're going to cut into our time and they want to talk so -- >> let me just finish. you just spoke, governor. >> can you let mr. meek -- go ahead and finish your time. i promise you -- >> the reason why i'm running as an dependent, it's what the people want and it's what's right with my own heart. the republican party and the right wing of that party went so far right, it's exactly why marco rubio stayed there, exactly the same reason that i left. he wants to overturn -- listen to me, women watching -- overturn roe versus wade. he does not support stem cell research. you know, these are extreme views that i'm not comfortable with. he took it to a point, so much so, that said that people who essentially don't agree with him ought to leave the country, like keith olbermann. that's unconscionable to me. >> -- in a primer you would have left the party? >> absolutely. because you have to be right with yourself, adam. and when

marco rubio has raised another point. he is willing to go along with the tea party on issues. >> we have less than a minute left. >> i said he stood in the schoolhouse door on this issue. >> nobody has fought harder for minorities in this day and i have. he stood firm on this issue of gay adoption. >> i hope the people at home to understand what is going home here. if you want some on the far right, marco rubio, far left, kendrick meek,. >> thank you of very much. it is a stimulating debate. >> the governor attended debates continue tomorrow night. president obama appears at a political rally for martin o'malley. live coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. you can find more on this by visiting our web site. you will find campaign debates. it is all at c-span.org/pol itics. up next, an update on this year's congressional races with the managing editor bob husak. it in-house race in philadelphia. quite the supreme court has started its new term. you can learn more about the highest court was c-span latest book "the

marco rubio. here's this. >> it's the wrong thing wanting to punish teachers, wanting to punish women and wanting to punish seniors by raising the age of eligibility. you haven't drank the kool-aid but too much tea. >> that was a line like when you go in an interview, you want to make sure you get those lines out. he wanted to make sure that he got that line out last night so this sets up to me a huge strategy there. that crist obviously the independent now but going for the independent vote in florida, people who may not feel that comfortable with the tea party. this was a huge shot. >> rubio went on to say i think it's funny to listen to the governor in the positions that he held just six months ago when he was trying to become the biggest conservative in the world and win the republican primary. that's tough. the governor saying i can't believe i'm losing to marco rubio. i'm going independent and he was paying the price because he was tight and gave a hug to president obama. at the time, presid

marco rubio. marco rubio, you have no idea what to say you believe about this now, do you? you are lying about your old position or you at least are flip flopping on it. you're denying your own beliefs. you're a mess on this! in florida you're a mess on social security. that sounds like trouble. not only can democrats fight on offense. it works when they do. every year, even this year. want another example? va privatization. privatizing the va? yes. as crazy as it sounds, this is an actual position taken by a number of republicans this year, including senate candidate sharron angle in nevada. in a radio interview ms. angle said this when she was talking about her father who is a veteran. >> i know he pays over $800 a month in prescription drugs that we can't get through his va nor through medicare. they just won't cover those things. and i know lots of seniors -- >> should they cover those things? >> no. not if you're working toward a privatized system. >> what is this privatized system of which you speak? >> a privatized va. an eye dee veterans groups immediately went thro

marco rubio? >> it's going to be difficult. right now kendrick meek is in third place. he's been trailing in third place for a long time. he's not close to charlie crist. these in second place. or rubio in first place. we saw in the debate last night

marco rubio the republican, it brings together the tea party part of it.cent weeks. so, you know, we've got a great race here in florida and something i think because we're so close to tend, i think you'll see some fireworks because the last wee saw in the st. petersburg times poll this morning, rubio was ahead by 15 points. that's huge. basically the two folks trail having what? eight days to figure out how to close that gap. and exclusively what you do when you're running behind at this late date is you go after the front runner so i expect that the target will be on marco rubio's back. >> explain why it's so important. we know it's a swing state, but why should people be paying attention this morning to florida? >> well, first of all because this is one of the seats, really, that republicans have to hold onto. second of all, i think when you look at florida, it's always -- at least in the past since 2000 has been one of those states that we really look at to kind of watch trends, and i think, third, this state has been just blasted by bad economic times

marco rubio literally says he wants to overturn roe v. wade if he gets to the united states senate and has a chance to confirm those nominees to the supreme court. that's dead wrong and most women in the sunshine state feel that way, too. i think it's wrong what he wants to do is raise the age of eligibility for seniors in social security and cut their benefits. it's not the right way to go. kendrick meek wants to punt that issue, social security, to a commission. they raise the age of eligibility and cut benefits. what they want is a common sense u.s. senator that understands we've got to stop this partisan bickering, work in a bipartisan way to move america forward. i'm the only candidate in the race to offer that. my two opponents are in clubs that they're locked into the talking points from the party bosses. >> let's wind it up with a lighter note. the opening pitch you had the other day, texas rangers, tampa bay rays. we'll show it to our viewers. it was a little, shall we say, high and outside. you're getting some grief, "washington

he is polling at 15% and the democrats are really anxious to keep the senate and they also see marco rubios a leader for the republican party. it makes political sense. >> does rubio impress you? >> he is imcredibly glib. he puts it together in a way that is attractive. >> national material. national material? you mean vice presidential? >> vice presidential. i bet they would look at him in 2012. marco rubio -- >> what is the negative about him? >> they have problems down there. >> using the republican credit cards? >> yeah. for lunch? so what. big deal? >> it's a lunch. who cares. >> come on. >> marco rubio is a conservative superstar. he is young. he is very articulate. he's a cuban american. he has enormous appeal and he's going to win this race. kendrick meek ran a classy campaign. i love that ad. he handled himself great. >> do you think he is dispensable because he is latino? >> maybe. >> he is the future. >> what is the percentage of the population? >> it's 15% of the population, but 7.5% of the vote. >>> exit question, political spending this year was estimated to top $3 billion. a

obviously florida has to diversify, but it's the very reason we should not federalize marco rubio.hat he's not telling you about these tax cuts he's talking about, only 3%, 4% are the job producers within that tax cut that he's talking about. the rest of it is borrowed money. guess what. middle-class families throughout america have to pay $6,000 per year to pay for the tax cut that he's talking about. that's before the finance charge from china, japan, or india. i think it's important that we look at leveling with the people of this state, not just the cake-and-ice cream deregular ra -- deregulation. we are putting our children in a position that no other nation children will be in as it relates to paying back this debt, and i think it's very, very important. >> mr. crist, you've got competing interest. cutting deficit and creating jobs. which is more important? >> creating jobs, no question about it. that's the immediate issue, making sure we create jobs an get the economy going again. that's why i think you need to have a two-pronged approach, cut taxes. i think that's what marc

we mentioned marco rubio, the republican. the two others running, charlie crist, the independent there, and kendrick meek, the democrat, debating this morning. candy crowley is there, and she sets the stage for us. >> reporter: hey, t.j. and suzanne. a couple of hours, 9:00 a.m. eastern, we're having a debate here at the university of south florida in tampa. it is for the senatorial race here in florida. it's going to be a big one because it's got great characters. frankly, marco rubio, who's the new kind of it guy in the republican party. he's got a lot of money coming in here. he was originally fueled by tea party activists. we have the governor charlie crist. he used to be a republican and basically got chased out of the republican primary because rubio was doing so well. crist running as an independent. and we have the democrat looking for some room between rubio and crist to kind of find some traction. he has been sort of consistently placing third, but the meek camp is hoping that they can frankly draw some blood here i

y el ultra conservador marco rubio el resta: afirmando que la conducta de clinton tendría que dar scholesotantes y primero porque parte del electorado ya ha votado los republicanos que están en posición para tomar el control contra cámara de representantes luego de las elecciones del martes. >> pero desde alaska hasta delaware, están luchando. mañana una convocatoria popular de 2 comediantes en washington buscará asegurar los votos de demócratas y también independientes no se da por vencido y mira hacia el futuro. las elecciones terminan pronto y todos tenemos la responsable de trabajar. >> en miami angie sandoval, telemundo. >periodista: recordamos que el martes 2 de noviembre tendremos la cobertura especial sobre estas elecciones y muy especialmente sobre las votaciones que afecten a nuestra comunidad y candidatos hispanos recuerde cobertura especial martes 2 de noviembre a partir de las 6:30. >> con esto telemundo reafirma su compromiso de firminformarlea hora de votar y cuáles son sus derechos al participar en estas elecciones tan importantes puede ir a telemundo.como/elecciones. >> e

y el primer lugar lo ocupa marco rubio.o de forma temprana. >> hay que cumplir con los derechos de todo ciudadano para elegir a la opiniÓn de cada persona individual. >> las personas despuÉs se quejan, de quien saliÓ, pero si no salen a votar no pueden decir nada, porque este es el paÍs de las oportunidades. votar es un privilegio, y que se privilegia a que aprovecharlo. >> los votantes de la florida tendrÁ carta final de este mes para ejercer su derecho al voto de forma anticipada, en unas elecciones donde se definirÁ el destino de este paÍs, ya que los demÓcratas podrÍan perder su mayorÍa. desde miami florida. >> hablando de privilegio, le recordamos que el voto hispano es mÁs cortante que nunca, recuerde que su voto es su voz. >> a una semana de la segunda vuelta votante en brasil... lo hicieron al estilo carioca, mÁs famoso en el mundo, el del carnaval. >> en rÍo de janeiro todo acaba en una rueda de samba. la polÍtica no es ajena a la mÁs famosa expresiÓn cultural brasileÑo. para bailar, para reÍr, para llorar, ypor qu

marco rubio is leading with 44%. charlie crist there is 30%.int, dave, lagging behind. no indication of whether that debate moved the needle. >> it seems what the democrat and independent wanted to see is they want rubio and want angle to come out and appear extreme and they're not. that's what we've seen christine o'donnell in delaware, they're not as extreme as they're trying to paint them. >> they're not making the mistakes is what their opponents are hoping. let's turn our attention up to massachusetts to the fourth congressional district up there because barney frank in the fight of his political life right now against challenger shawn beilat got fired up in a debate and one of the most heated moments came when they were having discussion abouts social security as well and shawn beilat saying in the debate that he was in favor of partially privatizing portion of social security and allowing people to put some in a retirement account and barney frank challenged him fighting back and forth. oddly enough, they remained tafrth tarp targeted on

marco rubio has been a lifelong republicans. these are not bad ventures. >> have any democrats ask you to drop out of this race and give charlie crist -- >> i'm the person who's nominated by hundreds of thousands of floridians, charlie crist all he did was walk down to the state elections office and became an independent. what it's going to take to beat marco rubio is conviction, a health care is a good thing. 3,500 floridians lose their health care every week. that's a fact. when you look at the issue of offshore oil drilling, charlie crist will change in the wind on that issue. >> you're fighting all the way until the end? >> let me tell you something, my faith drives me to never give up and the bottom line i have no reason to give up. people are going to start to focus on the race, they're looking for a true fighter, someone who's going to stand up for the middle class and someone who's going to protect the state of florida and that's me. >> we have invited marco rubio and charlie crist to come in as well. we're inviting a lo

marco rubio won the toss to go first. we will begin with the issue before voters care most about, jobs. our unemployment rate is two percentage points higher than the national average. nearly one in a floridians cannot get a job. you oppose the federal stimulus. if we had not had that stimulus running, wouldn't have things been worse? >> thank you for having this debate. let's talk about the stimulus package. it was called stimulus for a reason. it has failed to stimulate the economy. over 200,000 floridians have lost their jobs. the unemployment rate is substantially higher than it was before it passed. it has failed to do everything that was supposed to do. on the other hand, it has stimulated the national debt. there were other alternatives to the stimulus. it was not about doing the stimulus or nothing at all. jobs are not created by politicians. presidents do not create jobs. jobs are created by everyday people. what we need our leaders in washington that will create an environment where starting a business is easier

marco rubio opposed obamacare with its $500 billion medicare cuts.p-flopped. >> you think there is only two people in that race, would you? >> and you would never know one used to be a republican. they have turned crist into the democrat in this race, doing the same thing we have seen in the other states, tying him to barack obama. no mention of the fact that this once was a poster boy for the republican party. >> and don't even mention the candidate, the democratic party. >> don't know who it s. >> they don't worry about him as much as the other guy. this is an ad by the national tea party group, criticizes lisa murkowski, lost that primary to joe miller. here it is, warning alaska broadcasters not to air, her campaign warning them not to use it here is part of the ad. let's listen. >> and now, lisa is trying to pretend she is running to serve us? yeah, right. >> so, i am here to tell you, you are disenfranchised no more. >> you lost, lisa. and it's time you respect that this senate seat doesn't belong to you. >> there you go. pretty strong knock th

marcos rubio quizÁs sÍ, pero sandoval y martÍnez no.ener otro punto de vista. la diferencia es que respecto a mi presidente que es obama, el no respeta la oposiciÓn. con todo respeto, hay republicanos latinos que tenemos otro punto de vista, que queremos fortalecer la frontera primero y eso es un punto de vista vÁlido y no racista. ¿cÓmo vamos a ser racistas? veremos cÓmo vota la gente de nuevo mÉxico. >> vamos a escuchar lo que dijo el presidente de los estados unidos. >> pero en Última instancia bien lo dijo, soy presidente, no rey, no puedo hacer estas cosas sÓlo. tenemos un sistema de gobierno que exige que el congreso trabaje para lograrlo. me comprometido para hacerlo realidad pero debo contar con socios para lograrlo. >> ¿como ven en los prÓximos dos aÑos? ¿que vamos a ver? cÓmo planean ustedes que se pueden ver las cosas a nivel polÍtico? >> me gusta mucho que dijo eso, tuvimos esta discusiÓn en agosto de 2008. desafortunadamente tuvo dos aÑos para decir lo mismo. Ésa es la tristeza del presidente pero siendo mÁs justo y objetiv

. >> el gobernador de la florida estÁ por debajo del republicano marco rubio en las encuestas.ersaciones podrÍan significar un acto desesperado por parte de los demÓcratas que le temen a la poderosa figura de marco rubio. pero este complicado asunto no termina aquÍ. la campaÑa asegura que quien verdaderamente estÁ detrás del rumor es charlie... >> lo Único que le importa es ganar. y a nosotros lo Único que nos importa es presenta adecuadamente al pueblo. >> cada demÓcrata haga esta decisiÓn por sÍ solo, los republicanos e independientes con sentido comÚn tambiÉn. >> el candidato republicano, quien le sigue al frente en las encuestas, lo calificÓ como una polÍtica inadecuada. >> desafortunadamente es un lugar donde se hacen en negociaciones secretas, negociaciones que nos han dado a nosotros las pÓlizas del paÍs. este tipo de arreglos los recuerda, este tipo de polÍtica que ha arruinado a este paÍs en tantas cosas. >> esta contienda tiene todos los ingredientes para que los ojos del paÍs sigan en ella, y otro elemento que no se debe perder de vista. en este estado muchos elector

he is down 14 points right now to marco rubio. some would say he was trying to make some excuses today. >> it is interesting. there were other exchanges mark yo rubio was accusing charlie crist of flip-flopping saying in some circles he's still would rely on the republican platform, in others, he wanted to stick with the label of independent. so, is charlie crist having a hard time in the form of identity? he does have an identity crisis right now? >> you know, fred, he does have an identity crisis, right? because on election day, and we already have early voting here right now in florida. democrats by and large are voting democrat, republicans are going to vote republican. you know, i was looking at deep into our poll just to see where the support is for every one of these candidates. marco rubio is defeating charlie crist when it comes to the independent vote so he no longer has the get out the vote operation that's oom forwarded candidates when they are their party's nominee, he's running an independent bid and really what he's

charlie crist running as an independent, marco rubio and democrat kendrick meeks. crist and rubio were gunning for each other and it's a good thing that meeks was sitting in the middle because crist brought up ole reports that rubio used republican party credit card to pay for personal items like groceries to repairs to the family minivan. look at the drama. >> any time we get into the issues, the governor wants to turn it into something else because he's wrong on the issues. let me say on the ideal log part -- >> why won't you release your ipo and credit card and why is there a federal investigation into your reporting income? >> this is just one litany of falsehoods after another. >> why don't you, can you answer this question and -- >> for the past year -- >> why not release the fully requires records and credit cards -- >> these have been answered since february. i've gone well beyond the point of disclosure. the bottom line is people want to focus on these issues because they're wrong on the important issues. this country has a $13.5 trillion debt. this countr

marco rubio, republican, is using g.o.p. star-power to keep the momentum going his way. correspondent phil keating has the story. >> hey, phil, how are you doing? >> reporter: starting with the kitchen staff at the restaurant, likely 2012 republican presidential candidate mitt romney emerged in land o'lakes, florida, to stump for marco rubio and help solidify his lead. >> i want you to know how happy i am to be invited to the barack obama, nancy pelosi, harry reid and charlie crist farewell rally. >> reporter: the third straight poll shows rubio with double-digit lead. charlie crist is at 33%. and kendrick meek, 28 points behind rubio at 18%. >> this is a referendum on who we are going to be over the next decade and century. if america continues to be exceptional and unique or is it going to become like everybody else? >> reporter: polls show moderate crist elected as a republican continues to split florida's democrats. the newspaper "florida today" now endorses crist and campaigning at a high school homecoming rally he told us he still has time. >> i'm very hopeful. of

kendrick meet marco rubio. former vice presidential candidate sarah palin campaign for marco rubio last saturday. gov. crest has been endorsed by california gov. ronald shorter nature. this is an hour. this is an -- arnold schwartz. this is an hour. >> i am david gregory moderator of nbc's meet the press and we are live tonight from orlando for the final face-off, one week from election day, it all comes down to this and the fight for florida's u.s. open seat is one that continues to garner national attention. this is the last time that the top candidates for the senate will publicly debate each other. joining us former florida house speaker, marco rubio, the republican candidate, governor charlie crist, the independent candidate, and congressman kendrick meek from the 17th district, the democratic candidate. a quick review of the rules tonight. you all have a one-minute opening statement and then we're going to questioning, "meet the press" style. you have two minutes to respond, but i'll be able to follow up

the goal, defeating republican marco rubio, who currently leads the polls. in return, crist would caucus with the democrats. >> my position charlie crist needs to get out of the race. >> reporter: with just four days to go before the midterm elections, both parties are making a final push for votes. president obama kicks off a three-day, five-state campaign swing in virginia later today. in alaska last night, sarah palin lent her star power to tea party favorite joe miller, who's locked in a tight race. >> we've got to send joe miller to the united states senate. >> palin revealed her own political aspirations on "entertainment tonight" thursday saying she would consider running for president in 2012, if no other republican is fit for the job. >> if there's nobody else to do it, then, of course i would believe we should do this. >> reporter: for now, the gop heavyweight is focusing on 2010 and helping republicans win control of congress. in nevada's senate race, tea party hopeful sharron angle getting big-time help from senator john mccain, holding a rally w

senate here in florida between the front-runner, republican marco rubio, governor charlie crist running as an independent and democratic candidate kendrick meek asked to drop out of this race. each time he answers absolutely not. today campaigning near fort lauderdale, meek said if anyone should drop out of this race it's governor charlie crist having already lost the republican party to the tea party backed candidate mark marco rubio. meek said earlier this week about 5:00 a.m., governor crist left him a voicemail and later met with him and asked him to consider getting out of this race. he says he even offered him a christian cross while he mulled it over, and meek kept this to himself until word president bill clinton himself had even gone to meek to ask him to drop out of the race so democrats could throw support behind charlie crist and perhaps have the best chance at beating rubio. the president later came out and said that conversation didn't quite go that way and, in fact, the two of them have plans to campaign monday night in orlando. lester? >> ron, thanks from florida. >>> no

independent governor charlie crist pushed marco rubio to disclose his financial records involving a g.o.p. credit card. and rubio pushed back, calling crist a heckler. here is part of it. >> the bottom line is if people want to focus on the issues, they're wrong on the important issue. this country has $13.5 trillion debt. >> he doesn't believe in transparency. i created the office of open government in the governor's office for the first time in history -- >> i never had heckler in the studio. i had them in the audience. >> that is the way it is. >> welcome to the n.f.l.! >> reporter: democrat kendrick meek sitting there in the middle did get a word in the live debate. mostly taking on crist who tried to win over democratic voters since he left the g.o.p. here is meek. >> the reason why the governor's argument doesn't really penetrate florida voters is that he has been all over the board. first, republican, then he became an independent. went down and nominated himself to sit here at this table at this very point. >> reporter: the polls show a senate race that looks like it's rubio's to

it would have tried to hold off marco rubio. >> marco rubio and charlie crist at the finish line. >> reporter: he was already trying to stump for joe sestak. >> any time that you cry to dislodge power you'll have a fight. >> reporter: in alaska joe miller rallied with sarah palin last night. miller topped lisa murkowski in the primaries. now she is a write-in candidate. >> carly. >> reporter: republican carly fiorina returned to campaigning after spending two days in the hospital and gave her first interview to "good morning america's" robin roberts. >> i draw a lot of energy from this campaign, i must say. >> i'm so happy she's well. we're both well. we're both strong and now we're going to focus on the last few days. >> reporter: president clinton -- president obama returned to the campaign trail for last-minute push. one thing that's interesting, he's going to shift his focus away from the senate, make his first appearance of this election season for a member of the house. rob and vinita. >> all right. emily schmidt in washington this morning, thanks, emily. >>> as emily said, sar

charlie crist who is running as an independent, democratic congressman kendrick meek and republican marco rubio. sarah palin campaigned with mr. rubio last saturday. president obama and former president bill clinton have campaigned for representative meek. and govern crist has been endorsed by -- governor crist has been endorsed by california governor around solid schwartz. this is an -- arnold schwartz. this is an hour. >> i am david gregory moderator of nbc's meet the press and we are live tonight from orlando for the final face-off, one week from election day, it all comes down to this and the fight for florida's u.s. open seat is one that continues to garner national attention. this is the last time that the top candidates for the senate will publicly debate each other. joining us former florida house speaker, marco rubio, the republican candidate, governor charlie crist, the independent candidate, and congressman kendrick meek from the 17th district, the democratic candidate. a quick review of the rules tonight. you all have a one-minute opening statement and then we're going to questionin

marco rubio won the toss to go first. we will begin with the issue before voters care most about, jobs. our unemployment rate is two percentage points higher than the national average. nearly one in a floridians cannot get a job. you oppose the federal stimulus. if we had not had that stimulus running, wouldn't have things been worse? >> thank you for having this debate. let's talk about the stimulus package. it was called stimulus for a reason. it has failed to stimulate the economy. over 200,000 floridians have lost their jobs. the unemployment rate is substantially higher than it was before it passed. it has failed to do everything that was supposed to do. on the other hand, it has stimulated the national debt. there were other alternatives to the stimulus. it was not about doing the stimulus or nothing at all. jobs are not created by politicians. presidents do not create jobs. jobs are created by everyday people. what we need our leaders in washington that will create an environment where starting a business is easier

if you're ahead, as marco rubio the republican is, what you want to do is not make any mistakes. but if you are charlie crist or kendrick meek, the democrat, you want to try to rile marco rubio and draw blood, try to make him trip up. they haven't been able to do that so far, but i think if you're looking at the three of them, that really is -- they both go after rubio at this point. >> candy, i've been tracking president obama out west here, and i was surprised to see we got a peek at his schedule for next weekend, the pivotal last weekend before the midterms. florida was not on it. ohio is on the list. there's four states, pennsylvania another big one, connecticut and illinois because of that senate race. but florida was not on the raise. is there disappointment in kendrick meek's camp? becau and does it send the signal that the white house doesn't believe he's within striking distance? >> you have to follow the money and you watch where the democratic committees are putting the money and it's not here. but the meek campaign will say to you, listen, we've had a lot of support.