Free Republic

<p>Florida Senator Marco Rubio will make his big announcement at the historic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.</p> <p>Rubio, on Thursday, told our news partners at the Miami Herald that the rally is scheduled for April 13th.</p> <p>The 11-story Freedom Tower that, for more than a decade, was where refugees first met with U.S. government officials after leaving Cuba off the Florida coast.</p>

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) may have chosen April 13 as the date to launch a presidential bid. The Miami Herald is reporting Rubio may be planning to announce his candidacy at an event in downtown Miami’s Freedom Tower on that date.

Marco Rubio sees room for himself in the GOP's crowded 2016 field — and is starting to throw elbows to make space. The Florida senator is moving full throttle towards a White House bid, hitting the road hard to raise money and elevate his profile. While allies and advisors say he hasn’t made a final decision, most now privately expect he’ll take the plunge.

Partial Transcript Courtesy of ABC News of Sunday’s Freedom Partners 2016 Presidential Forum with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen Marco Rubio (R-FL), moderated by ABC’s Jonathan Karl, on the issue of Iran sanctions.

Sen. Marco Rubio has begun taking concrete steps toward launching a presidential bid, asking his top advisors to prepare for a campaign, signing on a leading Republican fundraiser, and planning extensive travel to early-voting states in the coming weeks, ABC News has learned. "He has told us to proceed as if he is running for president," a senior Rubio advisor tells ABC News

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s apparent decision to speed up his entry into the growing field of 2016 Republican presidential primary challengers is coming at the perfect time, as a new poll out Friday shows him moving into second place behind repeat candidate Mitt Romney.

Sen. Marco Rubio has begun taking concrete steps toward launching a presidential bid, asking his top advisors to prepare for a campaign, signing on a leading Republican fundraiser, and planning extensive travel to early-voting states in the coming weeks, ABC News has learned. "He has told us to proceed as if he is running for president," a senior Rubio advisor tells ABC News.

President Barack Obama's historic move to loosen the U.S. embargo on Cuba opens a political minefield for Republicans with presidential aspirations. The announcement immediately threw two Florida politicians -- Sen. Marco Rubio and former Governor Jeb Bush -- into the spotlight and served as another reminder of the state's enduring importance in presidential politics. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, quickly took a hardline position, vowing to block any nominee the administration might put forward to be an ambassador to Cuba. He called Obama's announcement "truly outrageous and counterproductive" because there has been no "democratic opening" in Cuba. It is...

We concede: You're exhausted from the election, the hurricane of attack ads and door knockers. Sick of Rick Scott and Charlie Crist. But brush it off, the 2016 presidential campaign is upon us, and Florida is in the spotlight like never before. Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush are seriously considering entering the race and either would stake a formidable claim to the Republican nomination. They will announce their intentions by early next year. For Rubio, it's a decision of whether to give up an almost sure shot of re-election. (By Florida law, he can't go for both.)...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said his experience passing an immigration bill with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) left him convinced his younger colleague isn't up to the presidency, in part because he's “so afraid of the right.” Graham made the comments to the Weekly Standard's Steven Hayes, and in the interview declared that he may run for president himself, saying he would want to inject his hawkish national security views into the debate. But his remarks about Rubio were perhaps more notable. Graham, for instance, compared Rubio's level of experience to President Obama's before taking offfice – albeit just before saying...

A fresh round of clues arrived this week from two Republican lawmakers who are regularly asked about their desire to pursue their party's nomination in 2016. While each cited different reasons, both Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas say they're now more interested in running. Rubio says the current Senate gridlock is limiting his ability to advocate for the kind of policies he sees as critical for moving America forward and that the White House might be a better place for that. "I'll have to make a decision in 2016 either way, because I'm up...

So things don’t look so encouraging for Rubio. But he may not be seriously eyeing a White House run anyway: A high-ranking GOP party official who asked that his name be withheld told me on Monday that Jeb Bush’s people have just met with Rubio’s people and a 2016 deal was struck. If Jeb runs for president then Rubio would drop out—and “Jeb is running,” according to my well-placed source. (Alert the media!)… Rubio knows his race will be tough since 2016 is the first time he would face a traditional two-person Senate battle. (His 2010 election was a quirky...

He’s a 42-year-old freshman senator, but when asked by Jonathan Karl on “This Week” if he’s ready to be president, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida answered without hesitation. “I do … but I think that’s true for multiple other people that would want to run … I mean, I’ll be 43 this month, but the other thing that perhaps people don’t realize, I’ve served now in public office for the better part of 14 years,” said Rubio. “Most importantly, I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas...

He will be in future "Gang's of Eight"... (continued 31 second Video)

Allen West could attempt to return to Capitol Hill in 2016 if Marco Rubio runs for president. But West could find running for the U.S. Senate to be a difficult assignment. West talked to the Tampa Bay Times this week and shot down rumors that he would primary Rubio in 2016. Some conservatives and tea parties have called for West to challenge Rubio after the senator’s support of immigration reform. West continues to show no interest in taking Rubio on. But, when asked what he would do if Rubio ran for the Republican presidential nomination and not for the Senate,...

Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution provides, in pertinent part: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.**snip**This political season, the eligibilities of Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz are the subject of debate. As much as we want certainty, the term “natural born...

Likable, authentic, and working to expand the Republican Party? Of course Rubio has been overtaken in the polls by Cruz, whose convictions match up perfectly with the GOP base. This summer, in an act of literary masochism, I read not one but two books about Marco Rubio. I came away from his memoir, An American Son, and Manuel Roig-Franzia’s excellent biography, The Rise of Marco Rubio, with the queasy feeling many Republicans must have had when they began reading Obama books in 2007 or 2008: this isn’t the guy you want to see on the other side of the line....

Senator Marco Rubio’s immigration reform effort is in danger. It might seem like his presidential ambitions are in trouble, too. His numbers are down; Chris Christie, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz are starting to dominate the media’s discussion of 2016. In response, Rubio seems desperate to reestablish his conservative credentials, even by associating with a losing fight to defund Obamacare. That knee-jerk response calls Rubio’s political instincts into question, but his presidential chances are still alive, even if his immigration effort is on life support. Rubio’s immigration bid probably hurt him on the right, but Rubio was never a natural...

Iowa’s talk-radio hosts have been particularly brutal. Steve Deace, an influential Christian conservative, has warned Rubio not to even show up, and has often taunted him during broadcasts. “Zip, zilch, nada — he’s got no support, he would be dead on arrival,” Deace tells me. “He may end up running for president, but he can’t win here.” Rubio’s latest Iowa headache is Sam Clovis, a charismatic, suspenders-wearing Republican running for U.S. Senate. On the campaign trail, Clovis frequently uses Rubio as a target. Rather than hit President Obama, the usual rhetorical punching bag, he slams Rubio on immigration to score...

On Thursday, Public Policy Polling released its latest 2016 tracking poll of Iowa Republican voters. The results show a dramatic shift in Republican voter sentiment. Sen. Marco Rubio, who had led in previous surveys, has dropped to 5th place. Sen. Rand Paul now leads the pack in the critical first-caucus state.