Marco Rubio doesn't seem to have noticed that this stock has fallen a bit since 2010. He's no longer trumpeted as the "Republican savior" or "GOP Obama," but rather just the second most popular Republican from Florida.
Despite that (and a whole lot of polls), he's still openly talking about the possibility of running for president in 2016 and says one-time mentor Jeb Bush's semi-entrance into the race won't deter him.
"If I don't run, it won't be because Jeb is running," Rubio told the New York Times this weekend. "Maybe if you're going to run for county commissioner or to be on the Mosquito Abatement Board or something like that, you may not want to run against a friend of yours."
Rubio goes on to say that he's "definitely going to consider" running for president.
"The decision I have to make is: Where is the best place for me to further my agenda? Is it as a presidential candidate or is it as a U.S. senator? And that's what I'm in the process of weighing."
Rubio also reiterated similar sentiments in an interview with NPR.
"First, let me say I have tremendous respect for Gov. [Jeb] Bush, and I've said repeatedly if he runs he'll be a very credible candidate. Potentially the front-runner, at least in the early stages, because of all the strengths and advantages that he brings to the process. As far as, you know, speculating about whether two people from the same state can run, it's not unprecedented. We certainly know a lot of the same people, we also know some different people. The decision I have to make is: Where is the best place for me to serve America to carry out this agenda that I have to restore the American dream given the dramatic economic changes we've had in the 21st century? Where is the best place for me to achieve that? Is it in the Republican majority in the Senate or is it as a candidate, and ultimately as president of the United States? If I decide it's as president, then that's what I'm going to do irrespective of who else might be running."
Since announcing he was actively exploring a run, Bush has took a commanding leading in polls. (Perhaps, in part, because he's the only person who has taking an active public step to establishing a candidacy.)
Rubio, meanwhile, remains distant in polls, even here in his own state of Florida.
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