Yeah, sure, the GOP Establishment would have gone with the transparent RINO for senator who had been the early favorite if they could have got away with it, but Rubio has the advantage of being Hispanic AND playing the get-along game with the Establishment. Remember, he’d been speaker of the FL house of representatives.
Particularly, he’s ‘Jeb Bush safe’ to the Establishment re: illegal immigration and amnesty.
He doesn’t play “get along.” He plays to win, and he has won a lot of things. And Jeb Bush was an excellent governor of Florida.