Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Marco Rubio is officially planting roots in Fort Myers.
The Florida Republican’s campaign announced Tuesday it was opening a campaign office in Fort Myers on Wednesday. Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, is scheduled to attend the opening, according to the campaign.
The event comes six days before the state’s March 15 primary. Rubio currently trails Republican front runner Donald Trump in the polls in Florida, and is ramping up his operations in advance of the state’s winner-take-all primary.
More than 1.2 million votes have already been cast in the March 15 election. State records show nearly 1 million people have voted by mail. Of those, more than 514,000 Republicans have voted by mail and more than 403,000 Democrats voted by ail.
State election records show more than 316,000 voters — more than 175,000 Republicans and more than 137,000 Democrats — have voted during the early voting period.
Southwest Florida is a Republican stronghold. In Lee County, 178,915 of the county’s 424,754 registered voters are Republican. In nearby Collier County, 96,675 of the county’s 188,849 registered voters are Republican.
The Rubio office opening is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The office will be located at 8695 College Parkway, Suite 1231 in Fort Myers.
