Miami, Florida (CNN) -- For Marco Rubio, life was simpler when it was tea time all the time. When he was gunning for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Florida, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives aggressively courted the state's conservative Tea Party activists. That strategy worked. Rubio was suddenly a Tea Party favorite. His stunning rise in the polls forced Florida's more moderate governor, Charlie Crist, to bolt the GOP primary to run as an independent. But the race is now more complicated, with Rubio competing in a three-way battle royal against both Crist and the Democratic nominee, South Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek.
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Marco Rubio's rise in the polls was fueled partly by Tea Party activists
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Crist decided to run as an independent, complicating the race for Rubio
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Rubio's grass-roots campaign managed by high-powered Washington and Texas GOP consultants
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Both the Rubio and Meek campaigns send out e-mails blasting Crist
Washington
"When you send a politician to @placeholder, you're always worried whether you're going to get the same guy back," Wilkinson said.
Tea Party
Tea Party
Tea Party
That's created a fascinating sideshow in this three-ring political circus: an alliance of sorts between the @placeholder-backed Rubio and Meek.
Charlie Crist
Crist
Crist
Crist
One of Meek's e-mails showcases a recent newspaper editorial in Florida that slammed @placeholder as a "campaign chameleon."
Florida
Florida
Florida
South Florida
"The last thing we need in @placeholder is a political opportunist."