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Republican Marco Rubio won Florida’s seat in the Senate on Tuesday night, according to CNN, defeating Democrat Kendrick Meek and Independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

The Democratic Vote was split between Meek and Crist, allowing Rubio to pull through and clinch the seat.

In the days leading up to the election, Rubio held a strong lead over his opponents, 14 points over Crist and 27 point over Meek, according to polls.

A conservative, Rubio’s platform centered on cutting taxes as both a means to help the national economy recover and a way to restore the Gulf’s economy following the Deepwater Horizon disaster. 

As part of his agenda, Rubio wants to cut the national debt and reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, and is in favor of stricter border control. 

Though a “Tea Party candidate,” Rubio tried to win votes based on his stance on issues, rather than on discontent with other candidates and government policies, effectively departing from traditional Tea Party strategies.

Prior to running for the Senate, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives as Majority Whip, Majority Leader and, most recently, as Speaker of the House. Rubio's endorsements included former Vice President Dick Cheney, former New York mayor Rudy Giulian and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.

In the Republican primaries, Rubio won with a staggering 84.6% of the vote.

Meek and Crist split the Democratic vote throughout the election. At one point, Crist reportedly asked Meek to drop out of the race in response to this, though it was also reported that former President Bill Clinton asked Meek to drop out.

Crist, the Governor of Florida, split from the Republican Party during the primaries when Rubio pulled ahead in the polls. 

Meek campaigned as a representative of the middle class. He is currently a representative for Florida in the House of Representatives.

As a liberal, the majority of Meek’s proposed policies stand in direct contrast with Rubio’s. He supports repealing tax cuts, comprehensive immigration reform and job creation for economic reform.

Crist campaigned as a moderate under the slogan “United to Stop the Extreme Right-Wing.” He drew upon his experience as governor when tackling the major issues of the campaign, citing his policies while in office. Like Meek, Crist supports job creation as a means to help the economy and calls for immigration reform.

“If you want somebody on the far right, you get Marco Rubio. If you want someone on the far left, you have Kendrick Meek. If you want someone who will fight for you and apply common sense, you have me,” Crist said.

Rubio will replace Republican George LeMieux in the Senate, and will serve alongside Democrat Bill Nelson, whose term will expire in 2013.

Contact reporter Jennifer Schultz here.

Follow Jennifer Schultz on Twitter: @Neon_Jenn

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