Charlie Crist

Fall Out
Caught in the middle of the Great Recession, Crist demonstrated his support for President Obama's 2009 stimulus bill, angering his conservative base, who saw it as a betrayal of Republican fiscal ideals. The governor cited the approximately 87,000 jobs the stimulus has helped to save or create in Florida as ample reason for supporting the bill, but unconvinced, conservatives flocked to Rubio in staggering numbers.