Rubio and Palin have a lot in common, his spokesman says

On November 10, we passed along the news that Marco Rubio would welcome an endorsement by Sarah Palin in his primary race with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for the seat in the U.S. Senate being vacated by mel Martinez. On Nov. 18, we reported on the NRO Palin interview, during which the former governor revealed that she was looking at the race to decide whether to make and endorsement.

Today we can relay the information that no meeting between Rubio and Ms. Palin is likely to take place when she in in the Sunshine State next Tuesday. She will make three stops in Florida that day, which doesn't leave much time for meetings. But Rubio is still hoping for that endorsement.

In an interview with Fox News, a Rubio campaign spokesman focused on the similarities between the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate and his boss:

"There are a lot of things that Marco admires of her, There are a lot of things that they agree on." Communications Director Alex Burgos said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday. "He'd be honored to have her support of him."

Burgos said both Palin and Rubio have comparable ideological positions and both had similar philosophies in their respective elected positions.

"They have both been reformers in their political career," Burgos said. "They both opposed the stimulus. They are both strongly pro-life."

We see another thing the two have in common. Sarah Palin was considered the underdog in the 2006 gubernatorial race in Alaska, both in the Republican primary and in the general election. She won both races handily. Rubio, who was trailing Crist in polls by twenty points last August and by forty in January, is now behind by only ten points. If the trend continues, he may win the primary in a Palin-style upset. 

- JP