Every four years, Florida becomes the center of the American political universe. The conventional wisdom is that no Republican can win the White House without carrying Florida. Looking at the last six presidential elections, that is very accurate.
But this year, Florida is even more important. Not only is the White House up for grabs this year, but control of the Senate is at stake, too. For Republicans, this year is a pretty bad year. The Republicans are defending 24 Senate seats while the Democrats are only defending 10. Of the 10 Senate seats most likely to flip, nine are currently held by Republicans.
One of those is Florida.
In 2010, Marco Rubio swept into the Senate as a part of the Tea Party wave. As a senator, Mr. Rubio was at first a darling of the movement. But that soured as Mr. Rubio became part of the so-called Gang of Eight. Despite his support for the “Gang of Eight,” his overall record has been one of supporting conservative free market principles. He has stood with Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
In April 2015, Mr. Rubio announced he would run for president and not run for re-election to the Senate. His presidential run lasted until March 15, when he dropped out. He has repeatedly stated he does not want to run for re-election to the Senate. He has expressed his frustration and outrage at the way the Senate works. Mr. Rubio spent the first four years of his Senate term under Majority Leader Harry Reid, the most ineffective majority leader in the history of the Senate.
Who could blame him?
Unfortunately for Mr. Rubio, his party and his nation now need him.
If the Republicans lose Mr. Rubio’s seat and it goes the Democrats, the chances of the Republicans hanging onto the Senate becomes virtually impossible. The top orders of business for a new Democrat-controlled Senate would be the nomination of Merrick Garland to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, a job-and wealth-killing carbon tax, eviscerating the Second Amendment and refusing to defend us against Islamic terrorism.
The Republican Party is in turmoil with the presumptive nomination of Donald Trump. Many in the GOP believe Mr. Trump will be defeated in the fall and believe he will take Republicans down with him. Whether that is true or not, for conservatives holding onto the Senate is imperative.
That is why we need Marco Rubio.
Mr. Rubio has the best chance to carry Florida for the GOP. Every other Republican most likely would not win against either Democratic candidate.
Since coming back from his presidential run and now not running for re-election, Mr. Rubio has been working on fighting President Obama’s efforts to bailout Cuban dictators, the Castro brothers. He is one of few Republicans who is standing up and blocking radical Obama appointees to the bench. He says he wants to be helpful to Donald Trump. The best help he can be is to be on the ticket. The Republicans will need control of the Senate and the race in Florida will be too close to call. With Mr. Rubio on the ballot, he helps the Republican nominee for president.
Perhaps the greatest quality that Marco Rubio has right now is that he really doesn’t seem to want the job. Washington, D.C., is filled with men and women who want the job and the next job and have their path to the top of the political mountain already mapped out.
This is a time when your country and your party need you Marco Rubio. Your country and your party need you to run for re-election.
America needs you Marco Rubio.
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