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Norquist endorses Rubio

Posted Feb 9, 2010 by William March

Updated Feb 9, 2010 at 04:27 PM

Anti-tax acrtivist Grover Norquist has become the latest national-level conservative political figure to endorse Marco Rubio in the Florida U.S. Senate primary.

Norquist, a strong political ally of former President George W. Bush, is known as founder of the anti-tax advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform.

In an announcement from the Rubio campaign, he called Rubio “the only consistently anti-tax candidate in Florida’s U.S. Senate race.”

Gov. Charlie Crist’s campaign immediately responded, calling Rubio “a pro-tax Miami lobbyist” who’s trying to hide his record, in a statement from campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul.

The Crist campaign noted published reports that Rubio voted for tax increases as a member of the West Miami City Commission. While Rubio was state House speaker, the Crist campaign also noted, the state Legislature increased the property taxes it requires local school districts to collect, even while legislators including Rubio were condemning high property taxes.

Rubio also announced an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, House Republican Conference chairman. As a member of GOP leadership, Pence is bucking the party establishment—the national Republican Senate campaign committee has backed Crist in the primary.