Posted on 06/03/2016 3:39:59 AM PDT by onyx
Sen. Marco Rubio
is coming under heavy pressure inside and outside the Beltway to change his mind and run for reelection to the Senate.
For Senate GOP leaders, the move is a political no-brainer.
For Rubio the question is tougher.
Running for the Senate would amount to a significant political u-turn. He’s repeatedly railed against the ineffectiveness of the upper chamber and brushed aside questions about his lax attendance record.
He could also be risking his political future on a Senate race that Democrats view as a prime pickup opportunity and is widely rated a toss up.
Rubio is expected to make another run for the White House a soon as 2020, and a loss in November could undercut any future presidential aspirations.
He would also face a fight from within his own party to retain his seat. There are currently five GOP candidates vying to replace Rubio, including Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who the Florida senator has repeatedly described as a “close friend.”
Democrats also face a primary. Rep. Patrick Murphy is backed by the Democratic establishment, while Rep. Alan Grayson is challenging him from the left.
Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida who studies voter participation, said that Rubio might be the best GOP candidate. But a victory by the former presidential candidate would be no sure thing in an election with Donald Trump
at the top of the GOP ticket.
“I would expect that it would be a close election. I don’t think he’s a shoo-in to win,” Mcdonald said.
Rubio’s decision has huge implications for both parties.
The GOP faces a tough task in keeping its majority as the party defends 24 seats across the country. Democrats need to gain just four seats and retain the White House to win back the Senate majority, and several GOP seats are seen as toss-ups.
Rubio has sidestepped questions about what he would do if Lopez-Cantera dropped out of the race, something the Florida official has shown no signs of considering.
Courtney Alexander, a spokeswoman for the Lopez-Cantera campaign, pointed to a recent Heatstreet article about Rubio doing a fundraising call with the lieutenant governor. Two sources told the website that “Rubio was on the call to make it clear that he was not running for reelection” and to raise financial support for Lopez-Cantera.
Democrats are taking early shots at Rubio amid the speculation.
“Republicans may be publicly begging Marco Rubio to run for re-election and to save them from the “nightmare” cast of candidates they currently have, but if Rubio even were to run, his prospects in November – that is if he can make it past the primary – don’t look too promising,” the DSCC said in a statement.
That hasn’t stopped GOP leadership and strategists from vocally nudging Rubio to change his mind. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-Ky.) acknowledged he and his Senate GOP colleagues have been privately pressuring Rubio to run for reelection.
“We’re all hoping that he’ll reconsider, because poll data indicates that he is the one who can win for us,” he told Hugh Hewitt this week.
Negative. He’s persona non gratis in Florida. Never happen. If he did decide to run he’d be laughed at. You can’t “rail” against the ways of the Senate, not show up for work, announce you’re not going to run, then change your mind because you got schlonged in the Presidential primary and have ANY credibility with the voters. Time to get a real job...
“Rubio is expected to make another run for the White House a soon as 2020”
Amnesty will be no more popular in 2020 than it is now. Probably a hell of lot less so once we see how much nicer America is when it’s no longer overrun with violent illegals.
Harry Reid was right (for once) when he said he’d never seen anyone dislike being a Senator more than Rubio.
“What will Marco Rubio do?”
Foam party.
“What will Marco Rubio do?”
Maybe La Raza has an opening.
Other than that, Foam Party
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