The continuing battle between the Republican establishment and the hardcore conservative activists in the Florida Senate primary could soon be intensifying, the Washington Times reports, with the Club For Growth actively considering the idea of getting into the race in support of conservative insurgent Marco Rubio, against the moderate Gov. Charlie Crist.

"We recently interviewed Marco Rubio and were impressed," said Club president David Keating. "We are very concerned about the two major tax increases Charlie Crist recently signed and believe there's no excuse for his active support of the Obama big-government 'stimulus' spending bill. We are actively considering the race."

The Club had previously been planning on a different major project for the 2010 Senate primary season: former Rep. Pat Toomey's challenge to then-GOP Sen. Arlen Specter in the Republican primary. But now that Specter has become a Democrat in order to avoid that very same primary, Florida might now be the new Pennsylvania.

But if they do get in, they'll have their work cut out for them. A new Mason-Dixon poll has Crist ahead of Rubio by 51%-23%. However, Rubio's biggest problem right now is a lack of name recognition, with 47% of Republican voters not recognizing the former state House Speaker's name -- something that Club money might be able to help correct.