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Marco Rubio

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Marco Rubio
United States Senator
from Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Serving with Bill Nelson
Preceded byGeorge LeMieux
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2009
Preceded byAllan Bense
Succeeded byRay Sansom
Member of the
Florida House of Representatives
from the 111th District
In office
January 25, 2000 – January 2, 2009
Preceded byCarlos Valdes
Succeeded byErik Fresen
Personal details
Born
Marco Antonio Rubio

(1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 53)
Miami, Florida
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJeanette Dousdebes
Children4
Alma materUniversity of Florida (B.A.)
University of Miami (J.D.)
ProfessionLawyer
WebsiteSenator Marco Rubio

Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida, since January 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (2007–2009).

Born to Cuban immigrants, Rubio was raised in Miami, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Tarkio College and Santa Fe Community College before graduating from the University of Florida. He earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996 while interning for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In the late 1990s he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami. Rubio was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.

Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martinez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead for an independent run. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 by a 19-point margin.

Rubio has been called the "crown prince" of the Tea Party movement.[2][3] He has been mentioned as a potential choice for the Republican vice presidential nomination in 2012 but has said he is not interested.[4]

Early life, education, and early political career

Rubio was born in Miami, Florida,[5] the second son and third child of Mario Rubio (1927–2010)[6] and Oria Garcia (born 1931). His parents were Cubans who had emigrated to the United States in 1956 and were later naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1975.[7] Rubio's family was Catholic, but from age 8 to age 11, he was raised Mormon and his family attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they lived in Las Vegas. He received his first communion as a Catholic in 1984, before moving back to Miami with his family a year later. He was confirmed and married in the Catholic Church.[8][1][9][10][11]

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990, before enrolling at Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College). He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1993, and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.[12]

While studying law, he interned for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.[13] Marco Rubio served as a City Commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the Florida legislature.

Florida House of Representatives (2000–2009)

He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for the 111th district in a special election on January 25, 2000. He has won each of his re-election bids.[14] In November 2006, he was elected Speaker of the Florida State House for the 2006–08 term.

He is the author of the book 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future. This book was compiled from Rubio's travels around the state to gather ideas from citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers". Many of the issues that he pushed for in his first year as speaker came from ideas in this book. During 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system. He argued it would reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government.[citation needed]

During his tenure serving as Speaker of the House of Florida, Rubio shared his residence with another Florida State Representative, David Rivera. The two men co-owned a home together in Tallahassee, which later fell into foreclosure after deferring months of mortgage payments. This issue surfaced in June 2010, during Rubio's run for the US Senate but was considered resolved according to Rubio's spokesman.[15]

U.S. Senate (2011-present)

2010 election

Rubio speaking at CPAC in February 2010.

On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate in 2010 for the Republican seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, who had resigned and been replaced by George LeMieux. Prior to the announcement, he had been meeting with fundraisers and supporters throughout the state.[16] Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Governor of his own party, Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed Crist in polling for the Republican nomination.[17][18]

On April 28, 2010, Crist announced he would be running as an independent, effectively ceding the Republican nomination to Rubio.[19] Several of Crist's top fundraisers, as well as Republican leadership, refused[20][21] to support Crist after Rubio won the Republican nomination for Senate.[22]

On November 2, 2010, Marco Rubio won the senatorial election with 48.9% of the vote to Crist's 29.7% and Democrat Kendrick Meek's 20.1%.[23] On May 20, 2011 Marco Rubio visited Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuño, and made a statement of wanting to "represent the Puerto Ricans" since he already felt he owed those who had voted for him in the Florida election.[24]

Following his victory in the elections, Rubio soon became the subject of speculation as a potential GOP candidate for the presidential election of 2012.[25][26] Rubio stated shortly after taking office that he has no interest in running for president or vice president in 2012.[27]

Tenure

Upon taking office, Rubio hired Cesar Conda, former lobbyist and "top domestic policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney during the first two years of the Bush administration" as his Chief of Staff.[28] Conda is "a well-known and highly regarded policy wonk" with experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government. He is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.

Rubio cosponsored a resolution, which was passed, to declare September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.[29]

Rubio's amendment, co-sponsored by Joe Manchin (D - WV), to allow employers to restrict health coverage for contraception based on religious or moral grounds did not pass the Senate.[30] The Obama White House singled out Rubio from the many co-sponsors of the similar Roy Blunt amendment, which also failed to pass the Senate.[31]

Committee assignments

Personal life

Rubio married Jeanette Dousdebes, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, in 1997. She is of Colombian descent, and together they have four children named Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic.[32] Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida.[1][33] Rubio attends Catholic Mass as well as a Southern Baptist church in West Kendall, Florida.[34][9][35]

"Son of exiles" controversy

In October 2011, the St. Petersburg Times and The Washington Post reported that Rubio's previous statements that his parents were forced to leave Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, were incorrect as they had in fact left Cuba in 1956 during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. According to The Washington Post, Rubio's "embellishments" resonate with many voters in Florida, who would not be as impressed by his family being economic migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. instead of political refugees from a communist regime.[7] Rubio responded, "The real essence of my family’s story is not about the date my parents first entered the United States. Or whether they traveled back and forth between the two nations. Or even the date they left Fidel Castro’s Cuba forever and permanently settled here."[36][37][38] According to a number of commentators within the Cuban exile community in Miami, Rubio is justified to continue to characterize himself as a son of exiles.[38][39]

Electoral history

Florida U.S. Senate Election 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Marco Rubio 2,645,743 48.9%
Independent Charlie Crist 1,607,549 29.7%
Democratic Kendrick Meek 1,092,936 20.2%
Libertarian Alexander Snitker 24,850 0.5%

References

  1. ^ a b c "Representative Marco Rubio". Florida House of Representatives.
  2. ^ "Midterms 2010: Tea Party 'Crown Prince' Marco Rubio wins". The Telegraph. London. November 3, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "Insiders Swoon Over Rubio for VP Nomination". National Journal. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  4. ^ Jake Gibson (October 5, 2011). "Senator Marco Rubio Says He Won't Be 2012 Vice Presidential Nominee". Fox News. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  5. ^ Linkins, Jason (October 20, 2011). "Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal Become Focus Of Bipartisan Birthers". The Huffington Post.
  6. ^ Beth Reinhard (September 5, 2010). "Rubio's father dies at 83". The Miami Herald.
  7. ^ a b Roig-Franzia, Manuel (October 21, 2011). "Marco Rubio's compelling family story embellishes facts, documents show". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  8. ^ Marrapodi, Erin (February 23, 2012). "Sen. Marco Rubio's religious journey: Catholic to Mormon to Catholic to Baptist and Catholic". CNN. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Jason O'Bryan (November 1, 2010). "What Is Marco Rubio's Religion?". Politics Daily. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  10. ^ Montanaro, Domenico (February 23, 2012), Rubio's Mormon past revealed, NBC News
  11. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (February 23, 2012), Tween Marco Rubio Was a Mormon, But Does Anyone Really Care?, Miami New Times
  12. ^ "Biography -- About Marco"
  13. ^ Clark, Lesley (January 5, 2011). "Miami's Marco Rubio becomes new Florida senator". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  14. ^ "Sun Sentinel report on Rubio". Sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  15. ^ Bender, Michael C. (June 17, 2010). "Rubio faces foreclosure on Tally home; his campaign says it's resolved". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  16. ^ Reinhard, Beth (March 5, 2009). "Marco Rubio quietly registers to run for U.S. Senate". The Miami Herald.
  17. ^ "January 26, 2010 – Rubio Edges Crist In Florida Gop Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; President Obama Under Water As Voters Disapprove". Quinnipiac University.
  18. ^ "Election 2010: Florida Republican Primary for Senate". Rasmussen Reports. February 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  19. ^ Schwandt, Kimberly (April 28, 2010). "Crist to Run as Independent in FL Sen Race". Fox News. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  20. ^ Romm, Tony (April 18, 2010). "McConnell: Crist would lose all GOP support if he ran as independent". The Hill. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  21. ^ Martin, Jonathan; Catanese, David (April 17, 2010). "Top Charlie Crist supporters torn over indy bid". Politico. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  22. ^ Farrington, Brendan; Kay, Jennifer (August 24, 2010). "Marco Rubio Wins Florida GOP Senate Primary". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  23. ^ Balz, Dan; Branigin, William (November 3, 2010). "2010 election results show Republicans winning the House, not the Senate". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  24. ^ Martínez, Andrea (May 20, 2011). "Senador republicano visita a Fortuño". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). Guaynabo, PR. Retrieved May 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Knickerbocker, Brad (November 6, 2010). "President Obama, Marco Rubio face off on tax cuts". The Christian Science Monitor.
  26. ^ Goodman, Lee-Anne (November 5, 2010). "Florida's new senator seen as 'Great Right Hope'". Toronto Star.
  27. ^ Rahn, Will (January 10, 2011). "Marco Rubio: I want to be a senator, not president or vice president". The Daily Caller. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  28. ^ Hayes, Stephen (January 28, 2011) Marco Rubio Picks a Chief of Staff: Cesar Conda, Weekly Standard
  29. ^ Voss, Laura. "Congress Dedicates September as National Spinal Cord Injury Month." Paralyzed Veterans of America. September 12, 2011.
  30. ^ "White House Attacks Marco Rubio's Contraception Bill." AP. February 13, 2012.
  31. ^ Allen, Greg. "For Marco Rubio, VP Prospects Bring New Scrutiny." New Hampshire Public Radio. March 7, 2012.
  32. ^ Rettig, Jessica (May 4, 2010). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Marco Rubio". U.S. News and World Report.
  33. ^ "Marco 101". Marco Rubio for US Senate.
  34. ^ Thompson, Damian (November 12, 2010). "Marco Rubio Tries to Still Debate Over Religion". The Telegraph. London.
  35. ^ "Rubio's income grew with his political clout, tax records show". Miami Herald. May 22, 2010.
  36. ^ "Marco Rubio: My family's flight from Castro". Politico.com. October 21,2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Marco Rubio's story, Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2011
  38. ^ a b Marco Rubio's story, Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2011
  39. ^ Mastrapa, Tania (October 29, 2011), "Forget the year of arrival, Cubans are exiles", Miami Herald
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marco Rubio.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by United States Senator (Class 3) from Florida
January 3, 2011 – present
Served alongside: Bill Nelson 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
94th 		Succeeded by
Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th district
2000–2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
2007–2009 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Florida
(Class 3)
2010 		Succeeded by
Current

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