McConnell Prods Rubio Publicly: ‘We’re All Hoping’ He’ll ‘Reconsider’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) may have no interest in running for reelection in November, but GOP leadership doesn’t want to hear it. In a series of interviews in recent days, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has ramped up the public pressure on Rubio to reconsider.

“I and my colleagues have been trying to convince Sen. Marco Rubio to run again in Florida,” McConnell said in a Tuesday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.

“He had indicated he was not going to, but we’re all hoping that he’ll reconsider, because poll data indicates that he is the one who can win for us. He would not only save a terrific senator for the Senate, but help save the majority,” he continued.

Rubio has left the door open to a future run for elected office, but said in a Sunday CNN interview that he had no plans to run for his Senate seat again because his friend Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera had joined the race.

The Florida senator was frequently mocked by fellow candidates during his failed 2016 presidential run for frequently missing votes and expressing skepticism about the efficacy of the body.

He said in October that he was “frustrated” with the pace of the Senate, and in January opined that senators and congressmen were “not going to fix America.”

Despite these reservations, McConnell and other GOP leaders, including presumptive nominee Donald Trump, are urging Rubio to take the leap.

“He’s been back in the Senate for six weeks. He’s, I believe, enjoying it, and being effective. Fortunately, Florida has a very late filing deadline. … So I haven’t given up hope,” McConnell told Hewitt.

The deadline to file in the Sunshine State is June 24.

h/t The Hill

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