Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Cross Marco Rubio off the list of possible vice presidential candidates.
In a Facebook message Monday, the Florida Senator said he would not seek and do not want to be considered for vice president. The announcement came after some had speculated Rubio was in the running to join Trump on the ticket.
“While Republican voters have chosen Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee, my previously stated reservations about his campaign and concerns with many of his policies remain unchanged,” said Rubio in a statement, which was first reported by CNN’s Jake Tapper. “He will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign. As such, I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for Vice President.”
Rubio was one of more than a dozen Republicans vying for their party’s nomination, but suspended his campaign after a devastating loss in Florida. He said Monday he planned to focus on helping his constituents.
“I will focus my attention on representing the people of Florida, retaining a conservative majority in the Senate and electing principled conservatives across the country,” he said in his statement.
Rubio is not running for re-election. He is also the second Florida Republican who has said he wouldn’t run as Trump’s vice president. When asked last week about it, Gov. Rick Scott said he would “pass” on the nomination.
“I’m flattered that people would even say things like that, but I like my job,” he said. “I got re-elected in 2014. I’m going to finish my job here. So I’ll pass.”
