Sen. Marco Rubio threw his support behind Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign on Wednesday and pushed back against the other candidates’ plans to fight until the national convention this summer - handing the former Massachusetts governor a major endorsement from one of the stars of the conservative movement.
“I am going to endorse Mitt Romney and the reason why is not only because he is going to be the Republican nominee, but he offers at this point such a stark contrast to the President’s record,” Mr. Rubio, Florida Republican, said in an interview on Fox News.
The freshman lawmaker, a possible vice presidential candidate, suggested that former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia are taking the wrong approach by arguing that they can win the Republican nomination on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
“I think all the candidates in this race have a lot to be proud of. They have offered a lot to the debate. But I just can’t buy into this idea that by their own admission, they are saying the only way they can win this race is by having a floor fight in Tampa in August,” he said. “I think that’s a recipe to deliver four more years to Barack Obama and our country – forget about the Republican Party – our country cannot afford that. We have got to come together behind who I think has earned this nomination and that’s Mitt Romney.”
The endorsement comes on the heels of the news that former President George H.W. Bush will endorse Mr. Romney on Thursday in Houston, and after his son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, called on the party last week to rally around Mr. Romney.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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