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In Reversal, Marco Rubio to Seek Re-election to Senate In Reversal, Marco Rubio to Seek Re-election to Senate
(about 9 hours later)
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said Wednesday that he has decided to seek re-election to the Senate after months of insisting he would not run again, a reversal that will reshape one of the most competitive races in the country. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said Wednesday that he would run for re-election, abandoning plans to pursue a more lucrative career in the private sector and jolting a competitive race that is crucial to Democrats’ plans to retake control of the Senate.
Mr. Rubio, 45, who is said to be reluctant to give up the high profile that a Senate seat offers, will enter the race with the formidable advantages of incumbency, national name recognition and strong ties to the Republican Party’s donor base. Mr. Rubio, 45, who had told associates of his reluctance to give up the high profile and political power that a Senate seat offers, will enter the race with the formidable advantages of incumbency, national name recognition and strong ties to the Republican Party’s donor base.
But he also faces numerous hurdles. He is coming off a bruising race for president that ended with an embarrassing loss to Donald J. Trump in his home state on March 15 — one that focused in no small part on his frequent absence from the Senate and from his duties in Florida as he campaigned. But he faces numerous hurdles, the most difficult of which may be his history of talking down the Senate as unfulfilling and frustrating at times. He is also coming off a bruising run for president that ended with an embarrassing 18-point loss to Donald J. Trump in his home state on March 15 — a contest that focused in no small part on Mr. Rubio’s frequent absence from the Senate and from his duties in Florida as he campaigned nationally.
He also made no secret of his distaste for Washington and the often glacial pace of business on Capitol Hill, words he is certain to see turned against him in attack ads from Democrats who had been optimistic about their chances at taking back Mr. Rubio’s seat before he entered the race. In a preview of what is expected to be one of the most bitter and most expensive Senate races in the country, within minutes of Mr. Rubio’s announcement on Wednesday, Democrats accused him of political opportunism and hypocrisy.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Mr. Rubio acknowledged his about-face and tried to explain himself in part by saying, “I changed my mind.” Mr. Rubio is not expected to have much difficulty in the Republican primary, where a few contenders have withdrawn, but he still faces several lesser-known opponents. In November he will probably be challenged by Representative Patrick Murphy, a 33-year-old congressman whom Republicans have mocked as young, overambitious and lacking in accomplishment — attributes that Democrats have pinned on Mr. Rubio.
“I think it’s clearly outlined that I’m frustrated by what’s happening here in the Senate — most Americans are,” he added. Political handicappers have rated the seat as a tossup, though Mr. Rubio’s decision to run probably improved Republicans’ chances of keeping the seat and their control of the Senate.
Then, in a dig at the presumptive nominees of both political parties, Mr. Rubio said he ultimately believed that no matter who is elected president, the Senate has the vital role “of being able to act as a check and balance on bad ideas from the president.” “He has breathed new life into the G.O.P.’s chances of holding the seat,” said Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report. “But that doesn’t mean that he has become anything more than the very slightest of favorites in November.”
The senator has told colleagues and advisers that he would like to run for president again, either in 2020 or 2024. But he increasingly came to think that doing so from the private sector would be difficult. Mr. Rubio had been flirting with the idea of running for weeks amid intense pressure from Republican Party leaders, who assured him of their full political and financial backing. He finally declared his intentions in an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, acknowledging his about-face and saying, “I changed my mind.”
His decision is not without considerable risk to his political future, despite his status as a nationally known incumbent who will have the full backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “I think it’s clearly outlined that I’m frustrated by what’s happening here in the Senate; most Americans are,” he added.
According to people who have spoken with Mr. Rubio in recent days, the senator is especially concerned about the effect that Mr. Trump’s candidacy could have on his chances of winning. A poor performance in the November general election by Mr. Trump against Hillary Clinton in Florida, with its large Hispanic population, could hurt Mr. Rubio. Then, in a dig at the presumptive presidential nominees of both parties, Mr. Rubio said he ultimately believed that no matter who is elected to the White House, the Senate had the vital role “of being able to act as a check and balance on bad ideas from the president.”
Mr. Rubio’s move was truly last-minute. Florida’s deadline to file as a candidate is Friday. Mr. Rubio has told colleagues and advisers that he is considering running for president again, in 2020 or 2024. And as he and his team weighed a re-election campaign, they debated how well situated he would be in once more seeking the presidency from the Senate.
A highly strategic politician with a restless personality, Mr. Rubio worried about a diminished profile if he faded from national politics into a career of paid speechmaking, his advisers said. But he also considered how being a senator would constrain him if he ultimately decided to seek the presidency again. His duties in Washington restricted his ability to raise money and to campaign as much as did some of his rivals who were not current office holders, such as former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. And he frequently had to defend himself against accusations that he was furthering his aspirations at the expense of his constituents.
For those reasons, a senior adviser argued Wednesday that Mr. Rubio’s decision should not be seen as motivated by national ambitions.
“Marco’s decision to seek re-election is about wanting to serve Florida, not about presidential politics,” said Todd Harris, who has served on Mr. Rubio’s campaigns for Senate and president. “Because if anything, from a 2020 political standpoint, this creates more problems than opportunities.”
That concern was borne out quickly on Wednesday. American Bridge, a Democratic opposition research group, accused Mr. Rubio of “cutting corners and avoiding hard work” and said, “Florida won’t re-elect him to continue skipping out on the job.”
Indeed, according to people who have spoken with him in recent days, Mr. Rubio was especially concerned about the effect that Mr. Trump’s candidacy could have on his chances of winning. A poor performance in the November general election by Mr. Trump against Hillary Clinton in Florida, with its large Hispanic population, could hurt Mr. Rubio.
Like a political hall of mirrors, Mr. Rubio’s decision abruptly scrambled the political alignments that had taken shape during the Republican primary fight.
Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Rubio once belittled as a con artist with small hands and an orange face, has endorsed his bid, writing last month on Twitter, “Run Marco!” Mr. Rubio has since said that he would support Mr. Trump and even speak at the Republican National Convention if asked.
And another rival who fought bitterly with Mr. Rubio during the primaries, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, on Wednesday greeted Mr. Rubio’s announcement by calling him “a powerful voice for the American dream.”