Members of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans Club on Wednesday night were lamenting how personal the split between supporters of Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist in their U.S. Senate race have become.

"It's sad," said young GOP-er Dywan Washington, a Rubio backer. Long-time acquaintances from the two camps have stopped speaking, and some (gasp) are even unfriending each other on Facebook.

"A lot of it stems from Charlie Crist supporters believing Rubio should have waited his turn," said club president A.J. Dorsey, also a Rubio backer. And the Rubio supporters, well, they just don't like Crist's property tax policies and that he supported the federal stimulus package, Dorsey said.

The two were gabbing at a holiday open house at the new campaign headquarters for Shawn Harrison, who's running for the District 60 state House seat. Harrison, a Republican, served on the Tampa City Council for eight years. His office, located in a Temple Terrace strip mall that also holds offices for Congressman Gus Bilirakis, features a "Bull Pen" decorated in USF green and gold where student volunteers campaign for him. Among those at Harrison's open house: Lobbyist Lou Betz; Temple Terrace mayor Joe Affronti and council member Ron Govin; and former Temple Terrace council member Frank Chillura.

Janet Zink, Times Stfaf Writer