When Charlie Crist addresses the Hillsborough GOP's Reagan Day dinner tomorrow night,most of those in the room will be supporters of Marco Rubio. So says Valrico businessman Sam Rashid, one of Tampa Bay's most influential Republican power brokers and himself a big Rubio supporter.

"I consider myself a conservartive and I'm going to support a conservative candidate. Crist is absolutely not a conservative individual. I've known him for 15 years,'' said Rashid, who has given tens of thousands of dollars to Republicans, including Crist, over the years. He is convinced Rubio can win the race, regardless of how much Crist outspends him. "A primary is not really a race. A primary is a nomination on behalf of a group of members. ... This senate race is probably the biggest race in the nation....This primary is where you literally have the candidate that can hold back a great deal of the soccialist agenda and one who will allow a great deal of that agenda to go through."

Rashid dismissed Crist's newfound interest in courting local Republican activists. "Charlie has ignored the conservative base ever since he took office...He now recognizes he has a real race on his hand. and it's too little too late."

Adam Smith, Times Political Editor