In 2016, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) made headlines for feuding with Donald Trump, then his opponent in the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for president. Eight years later, he is in prime position to be Trump’s running mate.
Rubio has been a close and loyal supporter of Trump since the former president’s inauguration in 2017, regularly defending him against criticism from Democrats and amid the various legal challenges Trump faces. Although he said he hasn’t heard directly from Trump about the possibility, Rubio would have been near the top of the list Trump is considering.
Strategists said Rubio’s background, experience as a lawmaker and skills as a political candidate would make him a strong candidate to broaden the ticket’s appeal.
“I think he’s the candidate that the Biden campaign probably fears most,” said Florida-based Republican strategist Justin Sayfie. “Of all the people President Trump could choose to be his running mate, I think the Biden campaign would probably not want to see Marco Rubio on the ticket.”
Rubio, 53, is among the youngest candidates on Trump’s list. He was first elected to the Senate in 2010 with the support of the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party, after serving nearly a decade in the Florida state House. He was seen as a rising star in the party and perhaps the future face of the Republican Party before his 2016 presidential bid.
Although only in his early 40s at the time, Rubio had strong speaking skills and was expected to appeal to racial minorities as a Latin American whose parents were originally from Cuba. But he couldn’t keep up with Trump in the primaries, despite winning some states, and dropped out shortly after Super Tuesday.
During the campaign, attacks between Trump and Rubio sometimes became personal, with Trump memorably deriding him as “little Marco” and Rubio calling Trump a “con man.” But Rubio supported Trump as the Republican nominee and has been a relatively consistent supporter ever since.
A former Rubio aide noted that these testy interactions occurred some time ago, and Rubio has worked with the Trump administration on a wide variety of “substantive” issues, including the Paycheck Protection Program to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19. They said Rubio also worked with Trump on foreign policy.
“During the Trump administration, people used to joke that Marco’s side job was being the State Department coordinator for the Western Hemisphere,” the former aide said.
“He is a very gifted communicator, does a great job getting the message across and is well-liked by Trump. Obviously, I think it could be extremely useful for the Hispanic vote, which could be decisive,” they said.
NBC reported in March that Rubio was moving up the list of potential picks, according to several people familiar with Trump’s selection process.
Rubio said in response to that report that he had not spoken to anyone in Trump’s orbit about the possibility, but “I think anyone who was offered this should be honored.”
More recently, Rubio was among a group of Republicans rumored to be on Trump’s list of candidates who visited him at Mar-a-Lago at a private lunch seen as an audition for potential running mates. Others apparently believed to be in attendance were Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R).
And Rubio was one of the few candidates who appeared on political talk shows defending Trump while he was busy with his trial in New York.
Rubio’s office declined an interview for this story.
GOP strategist Jason Cabel Roe said Rubio has a “compelling” personal story and knows how to communicate well.
“And he is respected on Capitol Hill and could be an effective advocate for his agenda in Congress when Trump wins,” he said.
Rubio’s parents fled Cuba in the late 1950s during the rule of military dictator Fulgencio Batista, just a few years before Fidel Castro took power in the Cuban Revolution. His biography on his Senate website grades that his grandfather, who was still in the country at the time of the revolution, sparked his interest in holding public office.
The biography states that Rubio’s father worked primarily as a banquet bartender and his mother took care of her family while working as a hotel maid and briefly as a factory worker.
“He has a classic American story of being the son of immigrants and rising to one of the most powerful positions in our government,” Sayfie said.
One obstacle that would have to be resolved if Trump chose Rubio is the constitutional restriction on presidential and vice-presidential candidates living in the same state. The 12th Amendment prohibits electors from voting for two individuals from the same state as them, so if Rubio is chosen, at least one of them will likely need to change residence to qualify to vote in Florida.
This happened relatively recently, when Dick Cheney moved his registration from Texas to Wyoming in 2000 to serve as running mate to George W. Bush, who was governor of Texas.
Republican strategist Ford O’Connell, also based in Florida, said he doesn’t expect Trump to venture into a race that will be decided by “inches” if a way to satisfy constitutional requirements is not clear, but “if they can.” find an alternative solution that is plausible to both, he will certainly be in the conversation.”
He said Rubio clearly appears to be interested in the job, pointing to the interview he gave on “Meet the Press” last month in which he argued with Kristen Welker about accepting the results of the 2024 election.
“It wasn’t long ago that Marco Rubio was considered the future of the Republican Party, and as such he has access to a robust fundraising network,” O’Connell said, comparing the power of his fundraising network to that of Burgum network. vast personal wealth.
And from an electoral point of view, Rubio could fit the profile of who Trump needs to overcome the threshold of 270 electoral votes. If chosen, Rubio would be the first Latino to run on a major party ticket.
Hispanics and Latinos are key constituencies in the swing states of Arizona and Nevada, and Trump has sought to make a play for these voters to at least further close the gap that President Biden and other Democrats have had with them during years.
O’Connell said Rubio is the only pick under consideration who was also considered in 2016.
He added that if the election goes well for the Republican Party, the Senate will likely be closely divided and someone who has served as a senator will be needed for the vice president’s role as Senate president, especially with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R .-Ky.) will soon leave his position.
Analysts agreed that while Rubio and several other potential picks avoided a direct answer about whether he would serve, the race for the job is open and he is in it.
“The first thing about Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club,” O’Connell said, referring to the popular film. “They haven’t decided who it will be yet, but everyone knows they’re auditioning.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
