Sullivan: “It’s the longest I’ve worked—I’ve been running these campaigns my entire life – it’s the longest I’ve worked for any candidate exclusively. This isn’t something that we’ve started taking lightly, I fully believe that you don’t wake up one day and decide to start running for president and then start an organization. So it was my job to start thinking of these things years ago and start planning this, should he want to make that decision, so that he was ready on day one.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/10/rubio-hires-top-south-carolina-gop-consultant/
Rubio hires top South Carolina GOP consultant
February 10th, 2011
Longtime Columbia-based strategist Terry Sullivan is heading to Capitol Hill, two sources familiar with the decision told CNN, to serve as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s Deputy Chief of Staff.
August 10th, 2011
Washington (CNN) - Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is launching a political action committee called “Reclaim America,” the latest in a series of steps designed to boost his national profile and tap into his growing star power within the Republican Party.
The goal of the organization, according to a fundraising email that will be sent to potential donors around the country, is to elect “true conservatives…Republicans who will stand up to Obama, instead of with him.”
(snip)
Though he denies having ambitions beyond the Senate, Rubio can also use the PAC to finance his own political activity and travel the country introducing himself to voters outside of Florida should he one day embark on a national campaign.
Rubio hints that the PAC might be used to elect a Republican to the White House, vowing to support candidates “who want to come here and serve in the House and the Senate or maybe even in the White House to make a difference for America’s future.”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/building-the-marco-rubio-brand/1275513
Building the Marco Rubio brand
February 16, 2013
The stated purpose of the Reclaim America PAC, which sustains much of Rubio’s political team, is to help elect other conservatives.
But of the $1.7 million spent through Dec. 31, only about $110,000 went to candidates, among the least generous of all PACs, according to an analysis conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics. About $98,000 of that was earmarked by donors, meaning Rubio’s PAC directed very little contributions itself.
Instead the PAC was used to pay Rubio’s political consultants, generate fundraising lists and mailers, conduct polling and travel.