Senate hopeful Marco Rubio shoves rival Florida Gov. Charlie Crist right on judicial nominees

Maybe Marco Rubio is getting into Charlie Crist's head. Gov. Crist may be the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican Senate nomination, but his announcement last week that he opposed Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court smacked of a guy wary of Rubio's efforts to cast him as too liberal for the GOP faithful.

Crist said he was concerned about Sotomayor's commitment to the Second Amendment, which is rather odd since Crist himself infuriated some conservatives by appointing James Perry, a Democrat opposed by the National Rifle Association, to the Florida Supreme Court.

Rubio, who also opposed Sotomayor's nomination, took note of the inconsistency.

"A few months ago he appointed a judge to the Florida Supreme Court that is much more liberal than (Sotomayor) is in terms of his views," Rubio said in a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9. "We agree on it, but it's curious how he got there." Rubio also discussed his personal finances, chatter that he could drop out of the Senate race, energy policy and the state of the GOP. The interview airs at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Rubio's new adviser

After a staff shakeup that pushed out Rubio's chief money-raiser and campaign manager, the Miami Republican is bringing in former Dick Armey adviser Pat Shortridge to serve as a senior campaign adviser.

Said the Rubio campaign: "At this point, Speaker Rubio believes it is necessary to click the reset button in certain areas of the campaign. He based his decisions on current realities that weren't evident when the campaign was organized earlier this year (when rivals looked more likely to be U.S. Reps. Connie Mack and Vern Buchanan instead of Crist).

"Up until now, we have been guilty of trying to run certain elements of the campaign in a traditional fashion when, in reality, this is a hungry startup that must start small and steadily grow even in the face of a skeptical pundit class. Ultimately, our path to victory requires us to tap into grass roots discontent with the current leadership in Washington and the Governor's Office."

Lt. Gov. Kottkamp's campaign video

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, a newly minted candidate for attorney general, is on the Web with a 4.5-minute introductory campaign video: "As lieutenant governor, I have criss-crossed this state and I have looked into the eyes of innocent Floridians who suffered at the hands of vile thugs," Kottkamp says in an accompanying declaration of candidacy posted on Twitter. "When I am attorney general, I will make sure these criminals pay for their evil deeds." Kottkamp's campaign consultants are Rocky Pennington and Mark Zubaly from Southern Campaign Resources in Tallahassee.

Glorioso out because of contributions?

Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, wants Plant City Republican Rich Glorioso removed from the panel that will look at Ray Sansom and his dealings with a Panhandle college.

"I know him to be a decent man and a quality lawmaker who has served both our state and our country with honor," Kriseman writes in a letter to House Speaker Larry Cretul. "My concern is the perception following reports that he received campaign contributions from Mr. Jay Odom via Rep. Ray Sansom. I believe even the perception of bias hurts our efforts to restore the public's confidence in the Florida House of Representatives, and so I hope you consider replacing Rep. Glorioso with a Republican who has no ties to Mr. Odom."

Steve Bousquet and Alex Leary contributed to this week's Buzz. Adam Smith can be reached at asmith@sptimes.com.