Crist's Senate bid facing opposition

NEWBERRY, Fla., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's bid for a U.S. Senate seat is being opposed by some of his fellow Republicans because of his bipartisan efforts, experts said.

Erick Erickson, editor of the conservative blog RedState.com, said Crist's call for Democrats and Republicans alike to work together on an economic stimulus resulted in some Republicans questioning his loyalty to party ideals, The New York Times said Monday.

Such concerns prompted some conservative officials and groups to back a primary challenge from former Florida state House of Representatives Speaker Marco Rubio, the report said.

"Florida is a hill to die on for conservatives," Erickson said of the Senate seat battle between the two Republicans. "This is the clearest example we have of these two competing concepts."

Rubio already has the support of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-N.C., who told the Times that Republican candidates who stray from their party's main values could face electoral problems.

"What's going to happen, the voters are going to weed out these Republicans who no longer share the core principles that make our country great," DeMint said.