After a widely praised debate performance, Marco Rubio picked up his first endorsement from a Senate colleague when he won the backing of Colorado Republican Cory Gardner.
In a Monday interview with Fox News, Gardner made his endorsement of the Florida senator official, telling host Jenna Lee that Rubio gives the nation its “greatest possibilities and opportunities” to advance the next generation forward.
“Today, I am proud to announce my endorsement of Marco Rubio to be the next president of the United States,” Gardner told the host. “Our country needs a new generation of leadership, and I believe Marco Rubio presents this nation with the greatest possibilities and opportunities to meet the challenges of the next generation.”
“After the debate in Colorado, I thought Marco did an excellent job of framing what I believe to be what Colorado and this country wants — somebody that we can be excited about,” Gardner said of Rubio, who now tops the Washington Examiner’s latest power rankings. “Somebody who is looking forward toward the future, not looking back at the past. Somebody that understands we’re always looking at the next horizon, and not trying to go backwards in polices that have failed.”
The freshman senator went on to tout Rubio’s policies on higher education and foreign policy, pointing directly to his “leadership” on issues regarding the Middle East and North Korea. Later in the interview, Gardner was pressed by Lee over his much-discussed voting attendance record in the Senate — which has been a topic du jour for Jeb Bush.
“I think if you look at others who have run for president, there seems to be a double-standard that’s taking place right now,” Gardner said, echoing Rubio’s pinpoint response to Bush last Wednesday. “The bottom line is a record of ideas. The bottom line is a plan for how to get this country back on track. It’s not about attendance, it’s about goals and opportunity to move this nation forward.”
The announcement comes only five days after Rubio made headlines by hitting back at Bush during the debate over the number of missed votes he has incurred in the race. Before the event, Gardner spoke to the Washington Examiner and discussed the GOP’s need to expand its reach into the Hispanic communities.
“I think we have to continue to reach out to Latino voters and Latino communities on those issues that matter to them. What is that? That’s the economy. That’s making sure they have jobs and opportunity. That’s education — making sure their kids aren’t stuck in failing schools,” Gardner said. “But it’s also the issue of immigration and how that can be addressed. You don’t have to agree on everything the president has said. You don’t have to agree with everything that’s in a Senate bill, they don’t have to agree with each other. But I do think we have to recognize we have a broken immigration system right now that needs to be addressed.”
“The bottom line is start with a basis of respect. Start with the acknowledgement of the role that immigration has played in our country,” Gardner said. “It’s an important part of who we are and we have to recognize that. I think as we move away from personalities and politics in these debates, and move into policy specifics, I think you’ll see that platform emerge, and I think it’s something that voters in Colorado and the country will embrace.”
In the only poll taken since the debate, Rubio has seen a boost to his numbers in New Hampshire. According to the latest Monmouth poll of the Granite State, Rubio sits in third with 13 percent support, up from only 4 percent in September. He trails Ben Carson for the second spot by only three percentage points, though Donald Trump continues to lead with 26 percent.
