Florida Senate GOP primary race turns on issues of illegal immigrants, the census, and federal funding<\/p>\n
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio says he is against including illegal immigrants in the national census.<\/p>\n
Critics say\u00a0that would actually reduce Florida\u2019s political clout and the amount of federal funding the Sunshine State garners.<\/p>\n
Rubio\u2019s stance puts him directly at odds with Republican Governor, and Senate GOP primary rival, Charlie Crist who said in a gaggle this morning that he thinks, “Every Floridian should be counted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Governor Crist does include illegal immigrants in his thinking on the subject and aides in his office say one reason for including illegals in the count is Florida receiving \u201cAll the federal funding we deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubio, The former Speaker of the Florida House, tells Fox News, \u201cWhen it comes to political apportionment, the Census should count legal American citizens only. Gov. Crist\u2019s position to include illegal immigrants in this count would dilute the voting power of every American citizen. Moreover, it would actually incentivize politicians to perpetuate our broken immigration system by rewarding states with large illegal immigrant populations with a louder voice in Washington. \u201c<\/p>\n
Crist aides say this is just the latest shift in Rubio\u2019s \u201cever changing immigration stance,\u201d pointing out reports that say when Rubio was asked whether illegal immigrants should count on things like the number of seats that Florida should have in Congress, Rubio initially said last week that he was not sure and that he wanted to “research it more.”<\/p>\n
Rubio’s opposition is a theoretical one since the census has already started, with illegal immigrants being counted. Yet it is another example of his efforts to play to the conservative wing of the base in the Senatorial GOP Primary race against the more moderate Charlie Crist.<\/p>\n