In last weekend's New York Times Magazine, Sen. Marco Rubio was asked yet again about whether he might challenge his mentor, Jeb Bush, for the Republican presidential nomination.

Rubio: "If I don't run, it won't be because Jeb is running. Maybe if you're going to run for county commissioner or to be on the Mosquito Abatement Board or something like that, you may not want to run against a friend of yours."

Rubio has expressed that for quite a while but this was his most creative response. Florida political insiders overwhelmingly think Bush's concrete steps toward a run close the door on Rubio. But even if Rubio concludes the same, there's no way he would say anything different for now, especially with a book coming out in mid January.

Here's how he put it in a separate interview with NPR last week:

"As far as, you know, speculating about whether two people from the same state can run, it's not unprecedented. We certainly know a lot of the same people, we also know some different people. The decision I have to make is: Where is the best place for me to serve America to carry out this agenda that I have to restore the American dream given the dramatic economic changes we've had in the 21st century? Where is the best place for me to achieve that? Is it in the Republican majority in the Senate or is it as a candidate, and ultimately as president of the United States? If I decide it's as president, then that's what I'm going to do irrespective of who else might be running."

Bush brothers give Democrats a boost

Expect to see more fundraising emails like the one Florida Democrats blasted out last week, featuring images of Jeb and George W. Bush and palm trees:

"Jeb Bush is thinking of running for president. Remember all the damage he did in Florida as our governor? And we can't forget the damage his brother inflicted on our country.

The party said Jeb Bush — or fear over him as president — raised $7,100 from 488 donors in less than 24 hours with an average donation of $14.50.

"That's a huge response from our base — much higher than we are used to seeing this time of year," party spokesman Joshua Karp told the Buzz.

The base enthusiasm aside, Bush still stands out as the candidate who could win Florida, a state critical to the GOP's hopes of retaking the White House.

Support for Jeb leads all others

Bush is the clear leader in the still forming race for the GOP presidential nomination, according to a new CNN poll.

Bush got the support of 23 percent of Republicans in the national poll, 10 points ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who received 13 percent. Ben Carson was third with 7 percent, followed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee with 6 percent each.

Bush is enjoying a surge of attention following his announcement he was "actively" exploring a run. A November poll had Bush on top with 14 percent. "Bush's 10-point lead is a milestone for the potential GOP field — it marks the first time any prospective candidate has reached a lead beyond a poll's margin of error in the past two years," according to CNN.

Still, he has a lot more work cut out for him winning the GOP nomination than Hillary Clinton does winning the Democratic nomination. The poll found 66 percent supporting Clinton, with her closest potential rival, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, drawing just 9 percent.

Welch to talk about Greenlight defeat

County Commissioner Ken Welch, the outgoing Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority chairman appears today on Political Connections on Bay News 9, where he tries to find something positive to say about the overwhelming defeat of the Greenlight Pinellas transit improvement referendum that he had once been confident would pass.

"Folks understand we need to improve transit in Pinellas County and the region. They want us to be able to connect, say, downtown St. Pete to Tampa, connect to (the airport), but they really believe we need to improve the bus system first," said Welch in the interview airing at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. "We were going for a home run, but we still can make progress with a single."

Asked whether his prediction that the initiative would pass — more than 6 in 10 voters rejected it — indicated he was out of touch, Welch noted that three County Commission candidates who supported Greenlight won their elections, as did all six PSTA members.

An engaging situation for Dave Aronberg

Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg, the former state senator, attorney general candidate, and committed bachelor/serial dater, is engaged to Pasco County native Lynn Lewis, 34, a former cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins and Ridgewood Rams (then Lynn Martin), who runs her own Boca Raton PR shop.

The 43-year-old Aronberg, who popped the question last week atop the Eiffel Tower, used to tout his bipartisan appeal, and apparently there is something to that. Lewis is a registered Republican.

Carolyn Edds contributed to this week's Buzz.