Marco Rubio

Kansas City, KA – The Junior Republican Senator for the state of Florida  is forty-three years old, and already people are talking about him becoming one of the youngest ever presidents of the United States of America. In the polls, last year, he took a beating.

Just after the Boston Bombing, he and the “Gang of Eight” released an immigration reform bill. But the bill went sideways, and everyone associated seemed to be left out in the cold. However, his poll numbers are climbing again, and, while for a while he was sixteen points behind Jeb Bush, he is now only three.

There has been much talk about Republicans reaching out to minorities. Marco Rubio could do this easily. He is a Cuban-American born in Miami, Florida. He speaks Spanish, and has plenty of stories of his parents and grandparents with which to build a powerful narrative.

He has done some of the preliminary things “necessary” to run for presidents, besides also hinting that he just might. Before the senate he was very capable in state politics in Florida, more than once pulling off tough elections.

In his book An American Son, he tells his life story. Of how when he was very young he was spoiled by his parents, causing him to be selfish, pensive, and unpleasant. He talks of how that affected his political career. In Florida, when the elections were going bad, at least once, according to his book, he went to a car to pout until his wife got ahold of him.

When he ran for senate five years ago, he ran against Charlie Crist, then then governor of the state. Rubio scraped a win in the primaries, but then Crist suddenly ran as an independent. (Crist is now running for governor of Florida as a Democrat.) Rubio had a long, hard fight. Until, on election night, they were unsure of victory. Then he got a call from the media services. “Were calling it for you.” He won that night.

In the upcoming election of 2016, there are many people in the field. The young man from Florida is one of them. But there are already people who are calling it for him. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out.

Andrew C. Abbott