Marco Rubio radio ad boasts one-two punch: Conservative, electable

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio released a new radio ad Wednesday in South Carolina that features the state’s Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy making the case that he is the best candidate to pick the next Supreme Court justice.

Mr. Scott and Mr. Gowdy, two highly popular South Carolina politicians backing Mr. Rubio, talk conversationally in the radio spot about how he has the right combination of being conservative and electable.

“It doesn’t matter who you want to put on the Supreme Court if you cannot win in November,” says Mr. Gowdy, who gained national attention as chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

Mr. Scott responds, “It does really zero in on the most important issue, which is not only picking a candidate who can win, but picking the conservative that can win.”

The nomination of the next Supreme Court justice has become the focus of Washington and the presidential race since the sudden death Saturday of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Mr. Scott and Mr. Gowdy don’t name any of Mr. Rubio’s rivals in the ad, but they underscore attacks that front-runner Donald Trump has in the past backed liberal policies, including being pro-choice, and that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is an extremist and a divisive figure, rendering him unelectable.

Mr. Gowdy then drops the name of another prominent figure in the state, former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.

“You and I talk about it all the time: Marco Rubio is the sixth most conservative member of Congress, House and Senate, according to Heritage which of course is led by Jim DeMint right now,” Mr. Gowdy said.

The congressman continues, “He is as conservative as anybody in this race, but he can win. If you care about the Second Amendment, if you care about religious liberty, if you care about the 10th Amendment, if you care about the proper scope of government in our lives then you have to pick the next Supreme Court Justice. You better win in November.”