Rubio Riding the Waves Under the Radar
With primary season under way, voters are getting their first glimpse at what each candidate has to offer the nation. In a field that is teeming with choices, each candidate is vying for media attention in order to reach potential voters. Thus far it has been business mogul Donald Trump that has garnered much of the media’s limelight. However, primary season is a long road and each day brings a new story and new polling data.
In the latest polls, Mr. Trump continues to enjoy the number one spot with Dr. Ben Carson coming in at number two. Business woman Carly Fiorina continues to round out the number three spot, while Senator Marco Rubio is tied with her in one poll and not too terribly far behind in others. Once the darling of the Tea Party movement, and a favorite for VP in the 2012 Presidential race, Rubio ruffled some important feathers when he joined the infamous “Gang of Eight” to push immigration reform in Congress. Despite losing some popularity, Rubio is seen as a strong contender in the current race for the Republican nomination and his conservative stances and his desire to rebuild America, and the GOP, could prove to be just the right combination for the ticket.
In his Presidential bid announcement speech, Rubio stated “We’ve reached a moment now, not just in my career, but the history of our country, where I believe that it needs a Republican Party that is new and vibrant, that understands the future, has an agenda for that future.” Despite the fact that Rubio is seen by some as an insider, he is still relativity new to national politics and his exuberance is a plus for many. While age should not be a major factor, Rubio is one the youngest (he, Ted Cruz, and Bobby Jindal are all 44—the youngest of the contenders) in a field that, on both the Democratic and Republican sides, have an average age of 59. Young voters are a key demographic, and in the past it has been the DNC that has done the best job of courting young voters. However, there is data to suggest that Rubio can pick up a significant portion of young voters, especially in a head to head match with Hillary Clinton.
Up to this point, the Rubio campaign has been working under a strategy that has had him flying just under the radar; silently trudging along building up grassroots support while the other candidates fight it out in the public square. According to Rubio’s campaign manager, this strategy would result in Rubio being the last man standing. This week however, Rubio found himself in the Trump crosshairs as he became the subject of Trump’s criticism during a speech at the Values Voters Summit. Rubio’s response? Answer with a jab and keep on campaigning. In addition to the attention from Trump, the Rubio campaign also picked up some support as backers of Gov. Scott Walker joined the Rubio camp amid Walker’s exit from the race. What does this mean for Team Rubio? That they will keep doing what they’ve been doing on the long road to August.
Image courtesy of Union Leader
