Crist Gets His

What goes around comes around, in politics especially.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist finds himself in a hotly contested Senate primary against conservative darling Marco Rubio--polls show the once-frontrunner Crist trailing by 25%--and Rubio is getting some help from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in part as payback for a decision Crist made two years ago.

Hotline OnCall's Reid Wilson reports that in 2008 Crist declined to endorse Giuliani in the GOP presidential primary, after, for lack of a better term, leading him on.

In the 2008 presidential campaign, Giuliani's entire strategy was built upon winning Florida. He didn't campaign in Iowa; he didn't campaign in New Hampshire. Florida (in what proved to be a disastrous plan) was supposed to be his stronghold. An endorsement from Crist, Wilson reports, was all set to go, but after a visit from John McCain the Florida governor decided to remain neutral. McCain ended up winning with 36% of the vote; Giuliani finished third with 15%, and his presidential hopes were dashed.

Well, today Giuliani is campaigning for Marco Rubio at an event in Miami, and the former mayor participated in a conference call with bloggers put together by the Rubio campaign. It probably won't have a huge impact on the race, but it goes to show that spite lives on in America's political system.