thank you. >>> so can charlie crist win as a democrat?ng me to discuss this is cnn political commentator, ryan lizza and he is also washington correspondent for the new yorker. along with him, a.b. stoddard, associate editor of the hill newspaper. thanks for joining us. i remember covering crist versus rubio, that was basically the race that forced charlie crist to eventually leave the party. you know, on same sex marriage, he's not the first politician to come around to evolve on this. president obama being one of them. what do you think, ryan, can charlie crist pull this off? >> on that issue, you're right. most democrats in the senate, most democrats around the country just a couple years ago were against gay marriage. it's only been a more recent transformation for most of them. i think he could get by with that switch. you look at abortion, which is a pretty deeply held view by most politicians and most people who care about that issue, and he's moved on that. the parties are pretty polarized in florida. we're not talking about a sta

so unpalatable that charlie crist won't want to vote for himself by the end. >> reporter: whyerica care about the florida race? what happens there will be a blueprint or a demplate for the presidential election next time in 2016. florida is always a factor. >> a lot of electoral votes in florida. florida fourth largest. maybe it's third. maybe getting bigger. we'll check. other news we're following, secretary of state john kerry is getting ready for another challenging diplomatic mission. he'll fly to geneva next week to find a political solution to the syrian civil war. let's bring in our cnn reporter, a political solution to this civil war? it sounds like mission impossible. >> it does, wolf. already the administration is lowering expectations. if you remember they wanted to try to get a post-assad government at this conference, now they're just talking about getting the regime and the opposition in the same room talking about things like maybe a local cease-fire, agreement on delivery of humanitarian aid, maybe prisoner exchanges. listen to secretary kerry talking about gen

>> well there's a lot of people who always liked charlie crist personally and then when he started to do this ideological tap dance it hurt his reputation nationally among political elites and left him without a home in florida. a big part of his challenge is to introduce himself, re-introduce himself as somebody who has been principled and consistent rather than opportunistic which usually a kind of a death stamp in any context in any party if you're seen as without principle, without back bone, without any kind of core convictions. >> another fascinating race in the state of texas. the republican a.g. facing wendy davis who shot to national fame during her filibuster against abortion restrictions in the state of texas. what do we look for here? >> well that would be a real sign of the times if wendy davis who, of course did as you say shot to national celebrity because of the abortion issue if she were to wage a competitive race. that would tell you something big about the direction of texas. at the state level this is a heavily republican state for a good while. and so although wen

jim messina is providing big picture strategic advice to charlie crist as he runs as a democrat down lorida against a very vulnerable republican governor who made ads for president obama and also making ads for crist. this is becoming a big obama operation down there. while we are talking about the obama family today, also, this morning, sad news. david axelrod's mother passed this morning at newton mass. an amazing woman. muriel axelrod bennett was in the 1940s, a newspaper reporter for the new york city newspaper "p.m." a time when very few reporters and then in 1960s, the madmen era and one of the first vice presidents at young and reubencamp. known to us as mrs. axelrod and a pioneer in journalism and advertising. one of the first people to use focus groups. so thoughts are with david axelrod this morning. >> absolutely. thank you, mike, for that news. >> we appreciate it, mike. >> she lived to 93 so great genes for david. >> our thoughts are with david. >> absolutely. >>> seattle's controversial cornerback apologizes for his postgame rant. why richard sherman regrets going after

are scott's numbers terrible. 30's.b approval is in the but charlie crist is not a candidate. -- perfect candidate. infamousd a rather senate race that did not go well in 2000 and -- 2010. i think this is going to be a big race. i do not even have a favorite candidate in terms of who i think is ahead. either candidate should not be underestimated. host: democrat line, good morning. jonathan, are you with us? caller: yes. good morning. , we haves to the race portrayingn one ad a solid supporter of the obamacare act. it is more of a 50-50 in , as itity in the state is throughout the nation. there per trigger with the health care act -- portraying her with the health care act, i know rumor has it -- some of the democratic strategist, and they are not -- even though they have or trade her as -- portrayed her as a liar. thank you. host: thank you. guest: the senate race was talked about a little bit. i think that the caller is i salute you write about -- is absolutely right about new hampshire being a swing state. their congressional district has flipped a couple of times. this is probably th

he's going to have a tough race against former governor charlie crist. >> right.ow, one of the things that strikes me is we've seen this. this is not just in florida. we're seeing this alec and big pharma have been pushing these kind of laws. we have nine red states passed this year, 29 states have introduced laws like this. so, again, this feels like more of a broader strategy, and obviously i come from politics so i will see it as a political strategy not necessarily good policy, particularly since we keep hearing from the justices that it's unconstitutional. but that really it's a political issue and part of sort of this war on the poor, class warfare about who's deserving and who's not. >> right. governor scott and the legislatures across the country that have passed similar laws won't let facts or the constitution get in the way of their agenda. it's one thing to tout these policies as part of a campaign. but frankly they're not doing so well in the courts. he's not doing so well. but that isn't stopping him from, governor scott, from pushing his political ag

roof and had a big impact on marco rubio's rise and eventually charlie crist now becoming a democrat. i think the conservative activist can feel justified in their anger. i think for a on the republican side, they're stuck between a rock and a hard place of wanting to insure electable candidates but the more they play in these primaries, the more they risk getting fuel to the less electable candidates and i think if i were paul broun in georgia who is the most obviously tea party candidate in that race, i would welcome the nrsc coming in and spending money on somebody else. >> i cannot believe they announced that publicly. there's enough outside groups on the republican side with the establishment money that could've done that without having the parties imprimatur. i was surprised. >> i from northeastern university. i've comment on two of the papers. one, the paper about the politics of recovery. two other names you could add your list are harold washington who is both debarred and spent time in prison and then got elected mayor of chicago, and the other if you want to go further bac

former campaign manager is joining charlie crist's campaign for governor.s trying to unseed rick scott. >>> hillary clinton is also expected in florida next month. the former secretary of state will speak at the university of miami. a release from the school does not specify what topics or issues she will discuss. >>> can't we all just get along? former first lady barbara bush can teach lawmakers a thing or two about good will. she's revealing surprising affection for one former rival. >> bill's father wasn't around. and i think that he thinks of george a little bit like the father he didn't have. and he's very loving to him. and i really appreciate that. and when they went on that long tsunami trip, george told me bill insisted he stay in the bed and bill instisted he was taken care of. and that was really nice. i love bill clinton. maybe not his politics but i love bill clinton. >> there you have it. president obama honored dr. martin luther king's legacy of service by visiting a d.c. soup kitchen. the first family helped prepare the daily meals by joinin

reflects probably the problem of the party. >> his campaign could be, i'm not rick scott and i'm not charlie cristi am, but in fact, i am not. it is true, my main beef with crist is a flip-flop he made way back in college, because for the first few years, he went to my alma mater, wake forest, was even a quarterback on our football team, and then flip-flopped and went to florida state. what kind of mess is that? all right. stay with us, adam. i want to ask you a little bit more about some things that we may not understand, if you don't actually live in florida, about how some fundamental floridian policies that are on the agenda, in fact, are understood in florida. we're going to talk stand your the ground when we come back. is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open r

charlie crist supports this initiative, the republican incumbent does not.come very big on the national scene as of late. going in part due to recreational use in colorado passing. what are the applications? -- implications? >> they're looking at florida as a test case. they also have medical marijuana legal in 20 states, but florida is the southern test case e/ . as national acceptance of this has gone about 50% so far this year, they think they can reach that 60% threshold that they need, and it will be a big win that they could take to washington as they push on the federal level. trying to get some kind of enteral rules and regulations as they legalize this even more so. >> this is a test case for the south, in theory this issue plays everly bear than in the u.s. west. >> that is very true, i think the polls show that out. on thisere laughing issue as they tried to push this to the ballot. in a month they turned it all around. this is what happens when you get money and smart political minds into the game. front and center, and i would will be up for a v

and amid the new charlie crist of asking for ways to increase his. at his cost indices all meetings whiz man as politics business and elation. i know it was in active labor unions. he believes when sis need to rethink readers does ride called sunshine of the pool to come clean on to inflation as he mentioned three companies that actually raise wages are ready what are some of the optics goals for other companies. serious hallows collins is far it's not easy at each company to go to the ways he's busily really is. and it's not clear how many companies include our way to pay the war has more now he's in different industries with different dynamics. take for example steelmaker is an astute users didn't seem to declan pm was out of the causal role months areas. so save enough to call me the stories in braces sitcom some parts i was small in india was high the parts face another challenge. in and hope to galilee into an oval is a consumption tax will find that a precedent and don't list which is a co op consumers will most likely buy list. the kenyan avai

when we challenge an incumbent and also when the gop establishment rallies around someone like charlie cristho is now a democrat. and we have had this problem, tray grayson in kentucky whom mitch mcconnell got behind instead of rand paul and he is a co-chairman of the democratic super pack. some politicians for office too long. and we need accountability and that helps the republican party win. we win when we stand for something and authtentic. and win when grassroots america believes we'll do what we ran on. in the margin. we spend resources and time going after democrats because they are the guys driving up the debt and they are the guys causing all of the trouble. but we win when we support republicans that share those basic values. >> i believe in term limits. to me the ultimate way to get rid of people that have been there too long is you have a limit and you have to go home. i believe in that forever and i still believe in that. >> there are senators, that have been in washington almost as long as i have been alive. that's not the way it should be. it is their policys that have gotten

of frustration in these primaries when the gop establishment rallies around someone like charl charlie cristwho is now a democrat. so we do need some competition. we do need some accountability. some politicians are in office too long. that's part of what helps the republican party win. we win when we stand for something. we win when we're authentic. now at the margin, we spend most of our money and most of our resources going after democrats because they're the guys driving up the debt and causing all the trouble, but i think we win when we support republicans that share those basic values. >> i believe in term limits. you've got to go home. i still believe in it. >> there are senators that have been in washington almost as long as i've been alive. that's not the way it should be. it is their policies that has gotten us into this mess. we cannot blame this entire mess on the democrats. that's a fact that the republicans have contributed to it as well. we need to change things. let's try some fresh ideas from some of these new guys. >> you could say you have a challenger, he doesn't win. sho

you won't get the hug that charlie crist gave president obama when he went to florida that time.o defend those two governors, charlie crist and chris christie at the moment, yes, they knew they were taking a political risk but they were applauding the president for helping their state at the time of the crisis, whether it's the bp oil spill, or superstorm sandy. but you're right, among some republican base voters, they'll want to see the body language when scott walker greets the president today. watch the president come down the stairs, i think you'll see a respectful handshake, a brief conversation. governor walker knows he's trying to do some state business, but there will be a lot of republican national eyes on him today. >> all right. john king, many thanks, we appreciate it. jake tapper will sit down with president obama for his first exclusive interview since the state of the union. you can see that tomorrow morning on "new day" and on "the lead" with jake tapper. it all begins at 6:00 a.m. eastern right here on cnn. >>> still to come, super bowl seats now going for an ave

so given the difficulty of supporting charlie crist and then seeing him crash and burn, to what extent would you advise the chairman about things to do in this nominating process? he's proposed a number of things. so i'd like to hear your thoughts on that. >> i think it really depends on what his goals are and the goals of the party. i think the structure of the calendar is so important, which states are allowed to go early, the percent of tea party supporters, how strong the tea party is in those states at that time, can the republican party keep other states from bucking the rules and moving where they want anyways? i just really wonder if the penalty of nine delegates is going to keep florida from moving forward. if the candidates are going to campaign there, if they're going to spend millions of dollars there, florida doesn't really -- i don't think florida cares whether it has nine delegates or 99 delegates because this recent years we don't see that it matters come the convention. and so that is not penalty enough. you know, in my paper i've got quotes from arizona governor and o

what he had said -- >> he just released a letter that he sent to speaker boehner and to governor charlie crist in florida, saying he acknowledges personal struggles, that he has dealt with those personally but doesn't feel that he can adequately and fully represent south florida to the best of his ability now. that resignation is effective 6:30 tonight. >> that follows his arrest after being -- illegal drugs from -- >> right. he is the first member of congress to plead guilty on cocaine charges. >> all right. well, thanks so much, domenico. >> thank you. >> for nor from domenico, check out first read on nbcnews.com. >>> we're bracing for it, because we've been warned. storm team4 meteorologist tom kierein is here to tell you what you can look forward to later today. hey, tom. >> cold air is coming in as we speak. >> it is? >> when we went on the air, it was 51 degrees, and now, on your screen, it's down to 45. we have dropped six degrees here just about the last 15 minutes. it's going to continue to go down, and here's what's coming. as we get into the afternoon, the temperatures will continue

. >> charlie crist. >> join the campaign of 2016. charlie crist. first, too. >> and in an interview published tuesday this tech industry billionaire voted for legalizing marijuana in his home state of washington. >> bill gates. >> did say that. correct. >> 200 point question. this republican governor announced he is taking steps towards decriminalizing the use of marijuana in his state? >> rick perry. >> of texas. correct. 200 point question. on monday, this nine-time olympic gold medalist alleged new jersey governor chris christie tried to dissuade him frun running in 2011. call time on that. >> casey? >> first name carl? >> can we accept that, judges? >> no. >> we need more. >> incorrect? anybody else? >> can't come up with the last name. >> kacarl lewis. >> the score -- >> not docked? >> 800. kiss chrissy 600. congressman, negative. and crown a new winner. hardest questions. first one starts now -- lee brite, a fro gun state legislator is auctions off a brand new ar-15 to raise campaign funds challenging what two-term u.s. senator in republican

. >>> charlie crist has hired a campaign manager.ng as a democrat. >>> this is a new poll, showing kris leading against current governor rick scott. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone t

charlie crist is apologizing for backing the state's constitutional amendment in 2008 that banned same-sex. in an interview with orlando lgbt publication, he said i'm sorry i did that, it was a mistake. it was wrong. please forgive me. it was a republican when he served as governor from 2007 to 2011 but now running for office as a democrat. >>> clay aiken is reportedly considering a new career in politics, sources say aiken has been meeting with political operatives in washington and abtively considering launching a bid for congress in north carolina. he would be seeking the seat currently held by renee elmerz. >>> people can buy a brand-new car for the first time in 50 years in cuba. previously citizens were only able to buy and sell cars with government approval if they were built before the 1959 communist revolution. two years ago the government allowed newer models to be sold. with the average income in cuba, $22 a month, affording a new car isn't a reality for most. >>> time for the gut check, we look at the latest television import that may be coming to a screen near you. it comes fr

both when we challenge an incumbent, and also when the gop stepment rallies around someone like charlie cristwho is now a democrat. and we have had this problem, trey greyson in kentucky, who mitch mcconnell got behind instead of rand paul. he's now the co-chairman of a democratic superpac. we need some competition. we need some accountability. some politicians are in office for too long. i think that's part of what helps the republican party win. we win when we stand for something. we win when we're authentic. we win when grassroots america believes we say what we ran on. now, at the margin, we spend most of our money and most of our resources and our time going after democrats because they're the guys driving up the debt, they're the guys causing all the trouble, but i think we win when we support republicans who share those basic values. >> i mean, i believe in term limits. to me, the ultimate way to get rid of people who have been there too long is to say you can't be there too long because you have a limit and you have to go home. i think we need that, forever. >> there are senators that

governor scott, who had four submit resignations in scandals, is currently trailing charlie crist byhe state address tomorrow. so that takes care of tuesday. he's got wednesday and thursday to announce that he is canceling the florida trip. when this week do you expect him to announce the cancellation of that trip? >> i would think he would have canceled it already, lawrence. it's a very easy excuse, obviously, to say he has business to tend to in the garden state, that he's got to get on top of this situation, that he owes that to the taxpayers of the state of new jersey to continue to work with the legislative branch as that investigation continues. but he'll be dealing with this for some time, and it certainly neuters his ability to be out there effectively on the campaign trail. i think it's a mistake for him to go to florida. >> yeah, at this point it is. governor rick scott is going to be out there saturday with a guy who's muddled in scandal and all the questions are going to be about a scandal in new jersey. i can't imagine that thing not getting canceled between now and then

are scott's numbers terrible. 30's.b approval is in the but charlie crist is not a candidate. -- perfect candidate. infamousd a rather senate race that did not go well in 2000 and -- 2010. i think this is going to be a big race. i do not even have a favorite candidate in terms of who i think is ahead. either candidate should not be underestimated. host: democrat line, good morning. jonathan, are you with us? caller: yes. good morning. , we haves to the race portrayingn one ad a solid supporter of the obamacare act. it is more of a 50-50 in , as itity in the state is throughout the nation. there per trigger with the health care act -- portraying her with the health care act, i know rumor has it -- some of the democratic strategist, and they are not -- even though they have or trade her as -- portrayed her as a liar. thank you. host: thank you. guest: the senate race was talked about a little bit. i think that the caller is i salute you write about -- is absolutely right about new hampshire being a swing state. their congressional district has flipped a couple of times. this is probably th

are scott's numbers terrible. 30's.b approval is in the but charlie crist is not a candidate. -- perfectdidate. infamousd a rather senate race that did not go well in 2000 and -- 2010. i think this is going to be a big race. i do not even have a favorite candidate in terms of who i think is ahead. either candidate should not be underestimated. host: democrat line, good morning. jonathan, are you with us? caller: yes. good morning. , we haves to the race portrayingn one ad a solid supporter of the obamacare act. it is more of a 50-50 in , as itity in the state is throughout the nation. there per trigger with the health care act -- portraying her with the health care act, i know rumor has it -- some of the democratic strategist, and they are not -- even though they have or trade her as -- portrayed her as a liar. thank you. host: thank you. guest: the senate race was talked about a little bit. i think that the caller is i salute you write about -- is absolutely right about new hampshire being a swing state. their congressional district has flipped a couple of times. this is probably the pr

there are those that flip flop and flip flop a lot and then charlie crist.o make an awkward apology saying he was wrong to back a state-wide ban on same-sex marriage, although as recently as 2010, he said marriage is a quote, sacred issue between a man and a woman. >> that was odd. crist is a distant second. david waddell is a city council man in klingon in indian trail. he submitted his resignation in clingon. perhaps today is a good day to resign. a twist on a classic klingon proverb. >> the mayor of indian trail said this letter was an embarrassment. we are sitting here casting judgment. we get stuck in certain things we say. >> i'm not judging. i usually do it in english. when i screw up, it is not in klingon. >>> coming up on "new day," the playoff games are not off and running yet, but they will be cold. we will tell you what the teams will do to keep the fans warm. that is coming up next. ♪ customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and

charlie crist, former republican turned independent and now democrat running against him for his oldry important swing state. it's going to be so much money poured into this race. this is a very expensive tv state. a lot of expensive television markets. when you look at money, there is nowhere else that there is going to be more spent than in florida. >> a good indication in 2016 for the presidential election. finally that we have seen, mitch mcconnell all throughout the last year or so, very careful about the stances he's taken. that's a key race he is up against. >> for attention, this is going to be the top race to watch. at least through the republican primary, this is an important race because we will see in march he is up against steve stockman and everyone thinks he will run away with that. mcconnell after that, it could reshape the narrative on the tea party versus conservative story line if mcconnell is able to beat the challenger and he is able to run against grimes and all indicates it's a fairly close race and a lot of money and attention going to be spent on that race to