A Labor Day weekend rally of conservatives in Florida vividly demonstrated the diverging political positions of two Republicans with 2016 on their minds.

Whereas Marco Rubio bore the brunt of jeers at the American For Prosperity event, Ted Cruz was sent off the stage with cheers to run for president.

The Tampa Bay Times captures the ambiance:

“Run, Ted, run. Run, Ted, run!” the audience chanted as the blunt-talking Texan concluded a more than 25-minute speech, the call for 2016 growing louder. Basking in the attention, Cruz joked, “I will confess that’s the same thing my wife says when I come home from the gym early.”

When Cruz started to wrap up, saying, “I want to close,” the crowd loudly voiced disapproval, urging him to say more.

The Palm Beach Post notes Rubio’s diminished stature with the group:

While Rubio’s Friday hecklers were a tiny minority in a mostly positive crowd, it was clear in conversations with individual activists that Rubio’s support for the Senate’s immigration bill presents problems with the GOP’s conservative base.

“He did it. He drank the Kool-Aid. I was all for him. I’m a tea party gal, I was all for Rubio,” said Terry Franklin of New Mexico, who says she now prefers Cruz or Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Retiree Lee Bright of South Carolina said he and his wife were big Rubio fans, “but he’s off our list because of his stand on the immigration. He got off the reservation there. It’s like he got, I don’t know, handled by some of the progressives. It’s unfortunate, because we had high hopes for him.”

And The Washington Post’s account couldn’t be clearer, topping its piece with this headline:

Ted Cruz enjoys clear edge among tea party activists at Americans for Prosperity summit

It’s too soon to say Cruz has eclipsed Rubio in the first lap of the race for the 2016 nomination, but this event — during the twilight of summer — underlines how significant immigration impacted the Florida senator in the eyes of the most fervent conservatives.

In a span of eight months, Cruz has replaced Rubio as the darling of the base.  But it’s important to keep in mind how quickly the pendulum swings — and can ricochet back.

The bet in Rubioworld is on the long ball — that in another 8 to 10 months, most of the damage will have been repaired as other issues heal the wounds of immigration.  Cruz, who has no shortage of self-confidence, will overreach and stumble, his detractors predict.

But as the summer turns towards fall, it’s Cruz who has taken away Rubio’s crown of “savior” in the eyes of the most dedicated conservative.

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Follow Dave’s blog at TheRun2016.com