Going Rove on the Tea Party? Marco Rubio Says Former Bush Strategists’ SuperPAC is ‘Good Idea’

Photo Credit: APSen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gave a strong defense of GOP strategist Karl Rove’s Conservative Victory Project in a recent interview, arguing that the super PAC offshoot, designed to quash conservative Senate candidates who might be too extreme to win general elections, was sensible.

Speaking with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Rubio was asked if he thought Rove’s endeavor was a “good idea.”

“Yes,” Rubio responded, going on to explain that Rove and his American Crossroads super PAC had been some of his biggest supporters during his rapid rise and eventual victory in his 2010 Senate race.

Rubio also gave credit to the Tea Party supporters that backed him, saying that both Rove’s group and conservative activists “have a place in American politics.”

Rove’s new election effort has quickly highlighted rifts in the GOP’s foundation. Tea Party activists have largely regarded it as a direct affront to their broader goal of putting forth highly conservative candidates. While Rove has pointed to Senate candidates such as Missouri’s Todd Akin and Indiana’s Richard Mourdock — both of whose campaigns suffered irreversible damage after offensive comments about rape — as a justification for his project, Tea Party activists have countered, arguing that Rove’s new push would have clipped the wings of successful candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rubio before they could take off.

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