Carlos Lopez-Cantera applauds Marco Rubio’s “courageous and positive campaign”

Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera sent well wishes to his friend Marco Rubio after the U.S. Senator suspended his presidential campaign Tuesday evening.

Lopez-Cantera, a Republican candidate for Rubio’s U.S. Senate seat, said in a statement that he  congratulates Rubio for a “courageous and positive campaign.”

“Elections do not always have outcomes one expects, but I know that Marco’s Reagan-esque optimism is something our country desperately needs right now,” Lopez-Cantera said in a prepared statement. “I know Marco’s voice will continue to be a part of the conservative movement in America.”

Rubio, a Miami Republican, suspended his presidential bid Tuesday after he lost his home state in Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary. Rubio received 27 percent of the vote, well behind Donald Trump, who received nearly 46 percent of the vote.

Lopez-Cantera faces four other Republicans to replace Rubio.