she want kendrick meek in the race because they believe any voter for meek or crist, both together, in an energized kendrick/meek campaign brings on african-americans to a higher level and helps alex sink who is in a very tough race with rick scott. >> chris, if i could say on the flip side, for national democrats, this is a difficult situation. kendrick meek is the only statewide african-american candidate running nationwide. there is no desire on the part of national democrats to get in between him and this race. any appearance of pressure for him to get out would really renown negatively to the party. you have congressman hastings, members of the black congressional caucus pushing for national support, the president, saying they want to see more visible support. part of the alex sink gubernatorial strategy is to have meek help bring out the black vote. the issue right now, he is underperforming barack obama in terms of the black vote, so he needs more energy there. but that was the plan going forward. >> let's take a look at the ads, how they are going, clips from an american crossr

she want kendrick meek in the race because they believe any voter for meek or crist, both together, inergized kendrick/meek campaign brings on african-americans to a higher level and helps alex sink who is in a very tough race with rick scott. >> chris, if i could say on the flip side, for national democrats, this is a difficult situation. kendrick meek is the only statewide african-american candidate running nationwide. there is no desire on the part of national democrats to get in between him and this race. any appearance of pressure for him to get out would really renown negatively to the party. you have congressman hastings, members of the black congressional caucus pushing for national support, the president, saying they want to see more visible support. part of the alex sink gubernatorial strategy is to have meek help bring out the black vote. the issue right now, he is underperforming barack obama in terms of the black vote, so he needs more energy there. but that was the plan going forward. >> let's take a look at the ads, how they are going, clips from an american crossroads a

so please join me in supporting kendrick meek for senate.because if we work together, he will win. >> ifill: but the national party has largely decided to spend its money elsewhere. susan mcmanus, a political science professor at the university of south florida, says the democratic party is splitting itself in two as rubio coasts. >> it is interesting that, for all the talk of the schisms in the republican party, the biggest schism in florida is in the democratic party over this u.s. senate seat. >> ifill: there will be huge repercussions, no matter who wins. meek would be the state's first african-american senator. crist would become its first independent. and rubio is already being hailed, by mainstream and tea party supporters alike, as the republican party's fastest rising star. >> please welcome marco rubio. >> ifill: while the democrats slug away at each other, rubio wears the frontrunner's mantle, appearing this week in tampa with louisiana governor bobby jindal in a room full of former crist voters. >> i did vote for him for governor

now there are new reports of a bizarre offer to get meek to step aside. nbc's ron mott talked to mr. meek today, and he join us from wilton manors. ron? >> reporter: lester, good evening. they say three's a crowd. that's what we've got in the race for u.s. 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

out but he told meek to do what he thought was best. meek, on the other hand, is flatly denying those reports. democratic representative kendrick meek isn't walking away from florida's senate race anytime soon. >> any rumor or any statement by anyone that says i made a decision to get out of the race is inaccurate, at best. >> reporter: late last night denied reports former president bill clinton asked him to drop out not once but twice and throw his support behind independent charlie crist. 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

se haya la del senado federal por la florida, acusaciones mutuas tu rubio charly crist y kendrick meeknatorial está "al rojo vivo." >>> yo no hago a cuero sdos por debajo de la mesa sigo aspirando al senado de estados unidos dijo meek, las reuniones tras bazo tidoras para que el ahora con bre zeus ta sólo cuenta con 15%, habrían tenido al ex-presidente clinton t como protagonista >>> hablamos sobre esto y al ti n final dije que debe hacer lo que considera correcto. según entendido la distancia numérica entre ambos no es in s vabl, algunos dicen que esto pudiera ser un acto desesperado entre demócratas. >>> la preocupación que rubio es la estrella del partido republicano y no quieren que el tea party agarre atención y credibilidad. >>> pero este asunto no termina aquí, meek asegura que quien está tras del rumor es charly crist. >>> hace todo para desestabilizar la campaña lo que nosotros queremos es representar a la florida. >>> admitió que en efecto habló con meek>>> cada demócrata hará esta decisión por sí solo. >>> el candidato republicano que sigue al frente en los encuestas criticó

that is really hurting meek, cutting meek's support. >> i think he is polling at 15% and the democratsre really anxious to keep the senate and they also see marco rubio as 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 quest

meek is holding a news conference at the bottom of the hour. back with ben and penn and stephen. [ commentator ] lindsey vonn! she stays tough! earlier, she had an all-over achy cold... what's her advantage? it's speedy alka-seltzer! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief for all-over achy colds. the official cold medicine of the u.s. ski team. alka-seltzer plus. policy for under $14 a month. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. >> larry: we're back. one more clip from the president's appearance on the stewart show. watch. >> i look over the last 18 months and i say we prevented a second grade depression. we've stabilized the economy. an economy that was shrinking is now growing. we've had nine months of consecutive private sector job growth. we have passed historic health care reform, historic financial regulatory reform. we have done things that some folks don't even know about. >> what have you done that we don't know about? [ laughter ] are you planning a surprise party for us? >> larry: ben stein, was president obama

you need to elect kendrick meek. you, god bless you. [ applause ] >> chris: well, leave it to bill clinton at the same moment that he was telling florida voters they had to elect kendrick meek to the u.s. senate, behind the scenes he was pushing meek to quit and clear the way for governor charlie crist. time for the sunday group. brit hume, fox news senior political analyst. contributors mara liasson of national public radio. bill kristol of "the weekly standard." fox news contributor, juan williams. well, brit, i thought i'd seen everything in politics, but here we have a former president of the united states pushing an african-american democratic congressman to get out of the race to clear the way for a guy who was a republican about 20 minutes ago. what does that tell you, first about politics, and second about how willing democrats are they will lose control of the senate? >> it tells you the democrats are worried about the limitless flexibility of the former republican charlie crist turned independent, who havin

kendrick meek really came on strong in the debate they had down there. can he catch up to the front-runner? 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

meek is holding a news conference at the bottom of the hour. back with ben and penn and stephen. >> larry: we're back. one more clip from the president's appearance on the stewart show. watch. >> i look over the last 18 months and i say we prevented a second grade depression. we've stabilized the economy. an economy that was shrinking is now growing. we've had nine months of consecutive private sector job growth. we have passed historic health care reform, historic financial regulatory reform. we have done things that some folks don't even know about. >> what have you done that we don't know about? [ laughter ] are you planning a surprise party for us? >> larry: ben stein, was president obama a better campaigner than he is a president? >> he's an unbelievably good campaigner. i would not rank him as a great president at this point, although he may yet become one. but i think he was completely misleading us when he said that he prevented another great depression. it was the t.a.r.p. bill, the bailout of the banks and that was put in place by the

. >> democrats are essentially splitting their support between charlie crist and kendrick meek. as long as that continues, rubio can stay where he is and win in a three-way race. >> tax cuts? hell yes. government in your bedroom? hell no. >> reporter: the governor can only hope his final pitches to voters are much closer to the strike zone than the one he tossed last week before a baseball playoff game. >> the most important thing is to look him in the eye and tell them the truth that washington is broken. we need to take this opportunity to make history literally and change what's happening in the nation's capital. >> reporter: before he and congressman meek can do that, they have to narrow the wide gap separating them from the front-runner rubio. a tea party favorite attracting more than 40% of likely voters. rubio has parlayed anti-establishment, anti-obama sentiment into a double digit lead in the polls. >> if you like the direction our country is headed, if you think the stimulus is a good idea, if

>> the only thing i can tell you about this race is meeks is staying in it.inish

kendrick meek gets the last word tonight. i can see what it's doing for the community on a day-to-day basis. natural gas is cleaner burning than most fossil fuels and it's vital to our energy needs. increasingly we're finding gas in hard to reach areas, but now we've developed new technology that enables us to access gas in hard rocks so we can bring more fuel to homes and help provide a reliable source of energy into the future. >>> the advent of the election, members of congress get out with the people. and each and every one reminds voters he or she is responsible for everything the government's done since the last election. meanwhile, most of the political press spends every night in their own beds inside the beltway. and eagerly awaits the next round of polling information to arrive on their blackberries. our next guest recently decided to inform his political analysis the old fashioned way. getting out with the people, just like members of congress. let's see if he actually learned anything he couldn't have picked up fr

democrats came home to meek, meek had a strong night in the debate the other night though rubio probably won it. crist is not able to lock up all of the florida democrats and wipe meek out to get the strong percentage in a three-way race to knock out rubio. i see rubio with the lead probably holding the last three weeks. >> thank you so much, as always. see you next week. >>> it is a new cell phone that is pushing the limits of wireless communication and it is one of self-so called breakthrough innovations. we'll show you next on "msnbc sunday." if you suffer from heartburn two or more days a week, you're one of the 50 million americans with frequent heartburn. did you know, with prilosec otc, you can stop frequent heartburn before it starts? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes, or backs up into the esophagus. this causes the burning sensation in your chest, known as heartburn. with just one pill a day, prilosec otc treats frequent heartburn for 24 hours, providing all-day and all-night protection. here's how it works -- prilosec otc's unique delayed-release system protects the

thank god that kendrick meek was in the middle. former football player he kind of sat back but certainly was in a good position to keep things safe and sane, don. >> you know, we say that rubio and crist were, but meeks got something in as well. i want you to pay attention to this exchange, mark, and then we'll talk about it. >> ideological arguments without common sense compromising to do what's right for the people. you're seeing it rye here right now. that's why i'm running as an independent is to give the people of florida a choice. >> let me just say this, let me just say this. let me say this. all right, we know why the governor is running as an independent because he couldn't beat mark organizations rubio, okay? that's just put it that way. >> that was one that just sort of cut to the chase and was probably one of the most honest exchanges there. it's showing up in the polls because crist is behind, and what meeks said was true. >> reporter: it is true. let's give our viewers the backstory. we'll start with the rubio exchang

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meek was pretty feisty. he seems like a guy that's not going anywhere. >>> jobless numbers and the retail picture are setting the stage for wall street. becky quick co-host of "squawk box" and joins us with a quick preview before the opening bell and 23 1/2 hours before the friday jobs report. >> you hit it on the head. the job report tomorrow will be the biggie, the government monthly number. today another glimpse of how the economy is going and how the jobs is looking particularly in the jobless claims. weekley jobless claims dropped unexpectedly by 11,000 to 445,000. it's still a lot of jobless claims that are coming in but it's the lowest level in about three months. that's giving a little bit of hope to the futures before the opening bell rings. right now dow futures are up pretty significantly. the s&p futures are up 6 1/2. the dow buy 52 points. you mentioned it's the number tomorrow everybody is waiting to see. also today hearing from retailers, some of the stores with same-store sales figures for se

meek -- go ahead and finish your time. 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 the party has those kind of views and represents that kind of intolerance, that's not the way my parents, who are here today, raised me and my sisters. i couldn't live with that. so i left and here we are as an independent. >> let me

because what's happening charles ree chris is siphoning away democratic votes from kendrick he meek. if you take away the support charlie crist has gotten from democrats and ordered to meek's told, he would be closer to mark rubio. but if you look at the poll se down 26 points to marco rubio. that might be way too much for him to make up at this point. if he had charlie crist's support or at least the democratic supporters perhaps some of these moderate democratic supporters backing charles ree chris, ken drik meek would be a lot better off. i think that's been a big level of frustration, fred, for kendrick meek, you know, somebody who fought for his democratic nomination and at this point 26 points. >> we'll see you in the 4:00 hour and talk about a disruption from a heckler in that debate and what that means, as well. that all straight ahead. thanks so much, appreciate it. >>> tomorrow night the focus stays on florida. republican rick scott and democrat alex sink are neck and neck. john king moderates their debate monday night on john king usa, only on cnn. >>> women for sale. a st

meek is behind his opponent and independent governor charlie crist f meek drops out, it would help crist win. meek says it was crist to talked to him about dropping out, not president clinton. >>> next, a recall involving the popular lowering drug liptore. >> we'll be back. hi, folks. hi. we're ready to switch our car insurance to progressive. today just seemed like a great day to save. oh, it's not just today. with our free loyalty program, you earn great stuff like accident forgiveness and bigger discounts just by staying with us. oh! ooh! so, what you're saying is, it gets even better with age. oh! tell me we're still talking about insurance. rewarding loyalty. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> live at the chicago. more people went shopping and spent money in the past months and that helped the economy grow. the commerce department showed gdp grew as consumer spending climbed the most in almost four years. a sign today that the recovery is developing staying power. and gm and a public offering upped the leadership of its new ceo. signs they're doing things differently

if you want the state to be represented, kendrick meek is the one that democrats should be voting for, just like individual congress seats will be elected because the constituent there's will recognize that they want a democrat or a candidate or an incumbent that will help build this country up, not take it back. invest in this country, build infrastructure. that's what the democrats are about. lower taxes for the middle class. >> and you're talking about house races, which you being a congresswoman would know all about. why have we seen a democratic surge in the polls leading up to many senatorial candidates but not so much many house candidates? what's the difference there? >> i'm counting down to the last days, and i frankly believe, as many states, some 30 plus states have early voting, you will see a surge. you are going to get a better understanding by the voters as to who will be the west representative for them. many of them will fall back to the incumbents that may have been challenged and recognized that they haveconstituents. it's all about local politics. we have seen some

he has a very close relationship with kendrick meek.ight be lost, but bill clinton is a winner and considered the closer right now in this midterm election. you've seen him hopscotch across the country going to states, going to districts that not necessarily president obama can show up in. now, if you look at approval ratings, the presidential approval rating, ed you know, is around 45%. the first lady's, 20 points higher. yeah, i'm a little surprised the fact michelle obama wasn't sent down to florida. it raises the question, does the obama campaign team choosing not to put her down here, because in fact if alex loses, look back and say, well, michelle obama went to florida yet they couldn't pull it out. you got to wonder if there's some 2012 strategy going on, ed. >> we will continue to discuss that with our political editor. first a break and i'll remind before you we go to break that sarah palin will be here soon and we will bring it to you live. we promise. we'll be back with "ballot bowl" soon. rheumatoid arthritis, there's the li

congressman meek, thanks for that. clear you are in through tuesday. >> thank you. >> all the big political celebrities out. bill clinton in the middle of that threeway race in florida. sarah palin in the middle of a three-way race in alaska. >> and she's up for a big test in that home state of alaska. she, of course, helped the republican there in the senate running for the senate joe miller and his upset victory in the primary. the question is can she help save his candidacy? neal karlinsky is right there in anchorage with all the details. good morning, neal. >> reporter: robin, good morning. on the one hand you have lisa murkowski handing out wristbands like this so people will remember how to write in her name. on the other hand joe miller has sarah palin and she was out here in full force doing all she can pushing hard for a tea party victory in her home state. >> hello, alaska! >> reporter: sarah palin rallied the faithful in anchorage in the hopes of boosting joe miller for the u.s. senate. >> we've got to send

sources say clinton approached meek about the plan twice meek accepted and then backed out. meek insists it never happened. >> there was never a deal. no one called me and said, hey, you need to get out of the race. >> hello, alaska! how are you, anchorage? >> reporter: up in alaska former governor sarah palin spent the evening rallying for republican joe miller. >> getting the country back on the right track is to change the way that businesses is done in washington. no more business as usual. we have to shake it up. we have got to send joe miller to the united states senate. >> reporter: the outspoken miller is one of 51 house and senate hopefuls palin is backing this year. if the candidates win on november 2nd, she'll cement her role as a king maker and fuel speculation of a presidential bid. it is a topic palin addressed in her interview with "entertainment tonight." >> it's a yes if there are others who are not willing to be running for the right reasons then it wouldn't be something that todd and i would consider seriously. >> reporter: karl rove, former senior aide to

. >> james meeks said he will not give up his ministry if he is elected mayor. a group of pastors met reporters outside of city hall to voice their belief that meeks would be able to serve the city and his massive south side parrish at the same time. earlier this week, alderman kerry austin voiced concern that voters should be weary of meeks being able to separate church and state. >> those who have participated in this process to declare a person's name mentioned as candidate for mayor would not be qualified because of his refusal to give up his vocation is ludicrous. >> meeks has 22,000 parishioners and 22,000 significant tours gathered making him the biggest candidate with the biggest base so far. >> next, a special safety measure being put in place to get the trapped chilian miners to the surface as well. >> incredible images out of hundred garrry where they are trying to clean up and assess the damage from a massive chemical spill. with capital one's venture card, echo! so we earned a trip to the grand canyon twice as fast. uhoh. we get double miles every t

meek says no. the former president seems to be telling a much different story. >>> was the possibility raised in any way? we will ask representative meek. >>> anna nicole's boyfriend and psychiatrist convicted of her doctor acquitted on all charges. this morning he is speaking out in an exclusive live interview. >>> trick-or-treat? we are hosting a halloween bash on the plaza. the question, what are we going to be? you will find out "today," friday, october 29th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> welcome. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm ann curry. matt is on assignment interviewing george w. bush. likely excuse. >> it will get scare yea round he round-scary around here in the morning. >> why do they do this every year? >> that one has floating hair. >> move that out of the way. >> matt has something to do with it. >> al roker is on the side laughing it up. >> in your face, al. anyway, we are not going toll you what we will be. we will say it is going to be star-studded. matt is no

this is not about meek. this is about the former president trying to help the governor and other democrats running for house seats in tight races because essentially the message that clinton seventh was that kendrick meek can't win. the problem for democrats is it could depress african-american turnout altogether which hurts the democrat running for governor and house seats. this is an attempt to get people energized, particularly african-american photos but the damage may have been done with the message having been sent that meek can't win in the view of the party establishment. this is something that's been going on for weeks. there has been an attempt to get meek out of the race. looked like they were close, but not all the way. >> let's turn to the house now. some political observers predicting a big, big republican win. they may pick up 70 seats. they need only 39. we talked about republican control of the house. what would next year look like with perhaps a republican house and a democratic senate and

he is trying to get votes from kendrick meek. people deserve a candidate who will stand up to washington and provide an alternative. >> let's get to the next round. at the big issue is health care. 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

kendrick meek, marco rubeio and governor charlie crist will all face off.t's good to see you. >> great to see you, tamron. >> you've got an ad people are talking about. you have the story line that maybe meek and charlie crist are pressuring each other to get out, one needs to go. what is the latest with this race here? >> it's interesting. you were just talking about the joe miller race. r rubeio has escaped the tea party label. he's been one of the guys who's snuck through and moved back to the center. as a result of that, he's solidified the right when he was a tea party candidate and he's started to move into the middle and get independent. the other two, the governor, charlie crist, and kendrick meek are locked in this battle. they're in second and third place respectively. tonight and their chance to see if one of them can emerge as the alternative. that's the only shot either of them has. >> on the eve of this debate, charlie crist issued a new tv d ad. >> yeah. that's one of the issues at which rubio is a tea party candidate. he is for raising the r

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. listen, there is no one who has supported the white house more really on capitol hill than kendrick meek. 98% of the time he voted with nancy pelosi, which generally it was a vote for president obama. so you can understand that he is having a tough time down here because not only is it a three-way race and he's got an independent governor who used to be a republican, charlie crist, who is going after the democratic vote, the independent vote, and the republican vote. and then you have kendrick meek who is trying to keep all those democrats with him. so far what we've seen, particularly here in florida, there was an interesting poll that showed that 52% of likely voters want the person that goes

meek's office says that didn't work.s inaccurate. he's done more events for me than anyone that's running in this cycle. he's a friend who'll always be a friend. >> reporter: in california republican senate hopeful carly fiorina is out of the hospital after she was sidelined by an infection as she told abc's robin roberts. >> i've been so touched by so many people's concern. but i feel fantastic. i'm happy to be back out on the campaign trail. >> reporter: in alaska, after republican senator lisa murkowski lost the primary to joe miller, it looked like her career was over. now it's miller who's on the ropes, running neck and neck with murkowski, now a write-in candidate. >> it's still a david and goliath battle. anytime you try to dislodge power you're going to have a fight. >> reporter: a key miller supporter told "entertainment tonight" she might be on the ballot herself next time for president. >> you know, i have not decided what i'm going to do in 2012. i don't think any of the potential candidates have. if there's

hard to think that kendrick meek is going to drop out.nd to be honest with you, it's going to be very hard for democrats to have kendrick meek get out of the race because he's got a base of african-american voters that they need to get out to the polls so that in the governor's race, the democrat can win and democrats see that governor's race as much more important actually, structurally, in 2012, the redistricting and in senate race. >> that "wall street journal" bomb of a rumor there, there's just no way meek is not dropping out. so there you have it. >>> here's a programming note, keep it on msnbc as tomorrow i'm going to be talking about political commentator and author arianna huffington and howard dean about the upcoming elect shuns. ♪ yes! ♪ look, they fit! oh my gosh, are those the jeans from last year? how'd you do it? eating right...whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories. more grains. less

and in florida's senate battle, the other guy seems to be democratic congressman kendrick meek. >> i don't feel any pressure whatsoever. >> reporter: lagging in the polls behind his opponents, he says he won't drop his bid as some have suggested. >> we have the ability to come from behind and win. we've done it before, we were in this position in the primary. >> reporter: unlike the primary, the challenge in the general election is keeping his base, especially african-americans, from fleeing to governor charlie crist, running as an independent and holding second to republican marko rubio. >> i need you to get out and vote. >> democrats are essentially splitting their support between charlie crist and kendrick meek. as long as that continues, rubio can stay where he is and win in a three-way race. >> tax cuts? hell yes. government in your bedroom? hell no. >> reporter: the governor can only hope his final pitches to voters are much closer to the strike zone than the one he tossed last week before a baseball playoff game. >> the most important thing is to look him in the eye and tell t

meek, third place with 20% of the vote. >>> other news this morning, aid workers are racing, now, to contain a cholera outbreak in haiti. it's already killed more than 250 people. and sickened more than 3,000 others. u.n. officials are bracing for things to get even worse. as they try to contain the disease from spreading throughout crowded survivor camps in port-au-prince for more than 1 million earthquake victims still live. so far, five cholera patients have been reported in the country's capital. haiti's dealing with its second humanitarian crisis since it faced that devastating earthquake in january. >>> later today, united states swimming federation authorities expect to receive the body of fran crippen, the open-water swimmer that died on saturday, during the last leg of the swimming world cup. doctors say severe fatigue was behind the death. but the cause of his death is under investigation. crippen's long-time prep coach said he told him before the race if the outside temperature was 100 degrees and that the water was 87 degrees. the man who won that race said it should neve

will meek drop out of the race? we'll see about that. >>> later, five ex-governors running for old jobs again. this another sign of voters nostalgic for better times or that they don't want to throw all bums out? >> who knows? we'll get into that question. >>> first, a look ahead at the president's schedule today and it is a busy one. making a statement on infrastructure and then meeting with the kids of the documentary "waiting for super man." the five kids, we'll get a meeting with the president. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless, too? new aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers, with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on, to even skin tone in four weeks. new aveeno tinted moisturizers. it'll cost a fortune to insure you. nationwide insurance, we need a freeze-frame here. let's give parents a break, right ? let the discounts they've earned be passed down to their teens

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

because by doing so he's siphoning away very important votes that kendrick meek would need for this race. as we look as the cnn corporation research opinion poll in the last couple of weeks, it shows marco rubio has a 14-point lead over charlie crist and 26-point lead over kendrick meek so what we're seeing is a very long campaign season and frayed nerves, don. >> just nine days away. not over yet. thank you, mark preston, and, remember, the spotlight stays on florida and watch cnn tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern. a special "john king, usa," the florida gubernatorial candidate debate. john king moderates the showdown right here only on cnn. next week i'll be traveling through the midwest to cover the election starting monday in chicago and then heading east. make sure you check out my election road trip. that's next week all day on cnn. >>> you know, still reeling from last january's killer quake and a new quake is affecting the impoverished nation of haiti. cholera has killed already over 200 people and has sickened hundreds more. now it's in the crowded capital of port-au-prin

dement was raised by congress meek. he talked about who should teach our children based on their sexual orientation that is where he is coming from. that extreme radical right part of the party is where he is coming from. we need to have common sense and what is right for the child. when i said it was not appropriate for the adoption, that was dull lot in our state. i was the attorney general and i understand enforcing below. when the court changed it, they changed it by a district court of appeals, a three-judge panel unanimously change dead and said that is unconstitutional. that is in line with what i talked about when i ran for governor even in the republican primary that i am a live and let live kind of guy. i'm a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. i believe in less government and more freedom. i do not want to impose my will on other people. even though i am pro-life, i vetoed that bill that encouraged ultrasound -- that required ultrasound. >> it is interesting to hear the governor attack may four positio

meek, we left promising you some time here.asically the thought was it seems the unemployment here has really hit a crisis level and 12% overall in the state. >> it's important that we grow this economy. obviously florida has to diversify, but it's the very reason we should not federalize marco rubio. what 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 c

because by doing so he is siphoning away important votes this kendrick meek would need for this race. of course, social security we look at the cnn opinion research corporation poll in the last couple of weeks, it shows that marco rubio has a 14-point lead over charlie crist, a 26-point lead over kendrick meek. when we're seeing is a long campaign season. very frayed nerves, don. >> yeah. and just nine days away. it's not over yet, thank you, mark preston. remember, the spotlight stays on florida, and be sure to watch cnn tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. eastern. it is a special john king usa, the florida gubernatorial candidates' debate. john king moderates the showdown here on cnn. next week i'll be traveling across the to cover the elections, starting monday in chicago and heading east. check out my election roadtrip all week. >>> still reeling from last january's massive killer quake, a new killer is stalking the impoverished island nation of haiti. cholera had already killed 253 people. it is moving quickly, and it has sickened thousands more. now it's in the crowded capital of port-au

. >> reporter: florida congressman kendric meek strenuously denies it. >> i didn't agree to anything. >> reporter: president clinton is downplaying it. >> i don't want to betray my confidential conversations with him. >> reporter: but cbs news has confirmed the former president urged meek to drop out of his three-way senate race and throw his support to charlie crist, the republican turned the republican turned independent governor who's stuck in second place behind republican marco rubio. in exchange, crist agreed to vote with senate democrats if he won the race. >> smart democrats, common sense democrats reached a conclusion that they wanted to try to make sure that an extreme candidate like marco rubio doesn't win. >> reporter: the failed back- room deal signals the desperation democrats are feeling as republicans pull ahead in key senate races. in wisconsin, a new poll shows political newcomer ron johnson surging to a nine-point lead over veteran democrat russ feingold. louisiana's charlie melancon, trailing by 12 points, launched this last-ditch attack. >> our tax dollars pay dav