Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), a young but increasingly influential House Republican, endorsed former Florida Speaker Marco Rubio for Florida Senate on Wednesday, over party establishment favorite Gov. Charlie Crist (R).

In a statement, Ryan said Rubio “has proven he is exactly the type of consistent, principled conservative the Republican Party needs to ensure the relationship between the federal government and the individual is one that maximizes freedom and prosperity.”

Ryan, a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and ranking member of the Budget Committee, has emerged as a leading GOP voice on fiscal matters, and his backing reinforces Rubio’s shift from conservative agitator to mainstream candidate.

CQ Politics rates the general election contest Likely Republican.

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