As the results in the South Carolina Republican primary were still being tallied, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) declared on Saturday that the GOP primary is now a three-way race.
“After tonight this has become a three-person race, and we will win the nomination,” Rubio said in his speech.
At the time of his speech, he was battling with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for a second-place finish in South Carolina, and Donald Trump had been declared the winner.
“I know that our campaign gives us the best chance, not just to come together, not just to unify our party, but to unify our country and to grow this movement,” Rubio said on Saturday night. “If it is God’s will that we should win this election, then history will say that on this night in South Carolina, we took the first step forward in the beginning of a new American century.”
Rubio also acknowledged former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who had just announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign. Rubio called Bush the “greatest governor in the history of Florida.”
“I believe and I pray that his services to our country has not yet ended,” Rubio said. “I pray for him and his family tonight.”
