Florida Senator Marco Rubio has to know that there exist no path for him to win the Republican Nomination for President. The first reason, he has consistently polled from behind.
Of course, Rubio’s candidacy will lean heavily on his personal story as the son of Cuban immigrants, but the 43 year old first term senator has to know there is no energetic constituency for him, even with conservatives.
“Grounded by the lessons of our history, but inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America,” Rubio told supporters at Miami’s Freedom Tower.
One has to keep in mind…after he worked on the failed immigration bill, Rubio went from GOP rising star and Tea Party darling to facing declining approval ratings in his home state, and hecklers at town hall meetings.
As CNN reported: “The senator consistently polls in the middle of the GOP primary pack, trailing fellow Floridian Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and even more conservative alternatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.”
Perhaps Rubio has a message that may connect, but the support is not there for him—even from Latinos.
“My candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad,” Rubio said. “In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful. But I live in an exceptional country, I live in an exceptional country, where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege.”
Rubio can’t even promise his home state of Florida with Jeb Bush in his way.
So why run, if he can’t win.
The answer is simple as I argued on TV with my colleagues. Rubio is getting his name out there with the American People, and coming off of the country’s history of electing Obama, should the Republican Nominee feel they need to shake things up for the Fall General election campaign and attempt to make history, Rubio perhaps then can be the guy.
Remember, the Democrats have Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro out there in the wings. Castro is telegenic, Latino, and young. The former mayor of San Antonio also aced his prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention.