From NBC’s Mark Murray: In Florida’s Senate race, Kendrick Meek (D) is trailing Charlie Crist (I) and Marco Rubio (R) in general-election polls. And according to a new Quinnipiac survey, he’s leading wealthy primary challenger Jeff Greene (who’s friends with Mike Tyson and Heidi Fleiss, and who made his money off subprime mortgages) by just two points.
But in a roundtable discussion with reporters today, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez said that his committee is fully behind Meek.
Asked if the DSCC would object to Democrats or Democratic groups backing Crist — who’s now leading in hypothetical three-way match-ups, Menendez replied, “We are committed to Kendrick Meek. We believe that he can win the general election… I’m focused on having Democrats support Kendrick Meek.”
He attributed Meek’s standing in the polls to his low name ID.
Menendez’s main argument during the discussion was that when Democrats engage Republicans in one-on-one contests — and when they make the race a clear contrast — they win. He cited the special congressional elections in PA-12 and NY-23. When a reporter reminded Menendez that Democrats lost the special Massachusetts Senate race, Menendez replied that the Democratic candidate failed to make a clear contrast against his Republican opponent.
