Are Marco Rubio's Advisers Encouraging Him to Drop Out?
Unnamed sources reportedly told CNN that some advisers to Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida want him to bow out of the presidential race before the Florida Republican primary on March 15.
"He doesn't want to get killed in his home state," according to "one source familiar with the discussions," CNN reported Monday, noting "a poor showing would be a risk and hurt his political future."
Staffers in the Rubio campaign claim the report is false and accused CNN of bad journalism.
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"Today @CNN reported totally false story about Marco based on unnamed "source" without asking camp for comment. Unbelievably bad journalism," Rubio communications director Alex Conant tweeted.
Conant also retweeted a claim that CNN's report intially said its sources were "Rubio campaign advisers," but that was changed to "Rubio campaign advisor," and then to "sources within the Rubio campaign," and then to "source."
Short of a contested convention, some political analysts believe Rubio has no clear path to become the Republican presidential nominee. He is also not expected to win any of the nominating contests in Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan or Mississippi on Tuesday.
A Monmouth University poll released Monday shows him in fourth place with 13 percent in Michigan, where candidates need to capture at least 15 percent of the vote to get any of the state's 59 available delegates.
In Florida, where the state's 99 delegates will be awarded in a winner-take-all method next Tuesday, Rubio is also trailing GOP presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump. A Monmouth poll released Monday shows Rubio behind Trump, 38 percent to 30 percent while a Quinnipiac poll released two weeks ago put Rubio behind Trump by a wider margin: 44 percent to 28 percent.
Conant told CNN, however, that any report of an internal debate about the candidate dropping out is "100 percent false."
"That is fiction," he told CNN. "I was sitting in a senior staff meeting planning out next week's schedule when I saw this report suddenly air and I came racing across town to correct it."
The unnamed sources reportedly told CNN that pressure will only continue to mount if he has a disappointing showing Tuesday, when Florida votes.
"Not going to have a great day is an understatement," one source said.
While some of Rubio's supporters are still hoping for a better than expected showing from him next Tuesday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel recently offered a biting critique of why it could not endorse Rubio or any Republican candidate for president.
"If you think Marco Rubio can unite the Republican Party under a winning banner, vote for him. But remember that he has almost no experience and has done little but run for office. Then, when he gets in office, he doesn't go to work very much. He holds the worst attendance record in the U.S. Senate," wrote the paper in its critique of the Florida senator.
"Without question, Rubio has a great personal story and tremendous political skills. He is smart and knows the issues beyond the talking points, no matter that one rote debate performance. ...
"We recognize that Rubio and Ted Cruz are the party's best shot at stopping Trump. If Rubio can secure Florida's winner-take-all primary, and certain other cards play out, perhaps Trump won't cross the finish line and another candidate can emerge at a brokered convention," it noted before ending, "… a vote for Rubio should be more than a protest vote. Rubio lacks the experience, work ethic and gravitas needed to be president. He has not earned your vote."
