Paul Singer, a billionaire and influential Republican donor, decided to throw his support behind Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) presidential campaign on Friday in a blow to other establishment Republican candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the New York Times reported.
Singer sent a letter to other GOP donors announcing his decision, describing Rubio as a “responsible policymaker” with “youth and vigor.”
“Senator Rubio does not shy away from tough competition, which will matter
given the brutal campaigns that will be waged against the Republican nominee by Secretary Clinton,” he wrote. “In a field full of promise, but also of risk for the party, Senator Rubio is the strongest choice.”
Singer’s decision comes as Bush’s campaign appears to be struggling. The former Florida governor, along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, had been courting Singer as a donor to his campaign, according to the New York Times.
Bush has had to slash payroll on his campaign recently, losing his chief financial officer, even though he has one of the best funded Super PACs. He has also slipped in the polls as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and real estate mogul Donald Trump have emerged as the frontrunners.
And in the Wednesday CNBC debate, when Bush slammed Rubio’s Senate attendance record and told him to resign, the Florida senator managed to gain the upper hand with his response.
The reports that Bush’s campaign is struggling has forced the former governor to insist that his presidential bid is “not on life support.”
