Marco Rubio turns his attention to November

Marco Rubio is focused on November.

The Miami Republican made no mention of his Aug. 30 primary challenger during an event in Fort Myers Wednesday. Instead, he rallied supporters and told them to make sure to get out to vote for him — and other Republican candidates — in November.

“This election is incredibly important. I’ll do my part. I’ll work harder than anyone in this race, and harder than I ever have before,” said Rubio. “But if people don’t turn out and vote — if they don’t return their ballots, if they don’t show up on Election Day, if they don’t show up for early voting —it won’t count in November. They may be supporters, but if they don’t vote, their vote doesn’t count.”

Rubio announced in June he was running for re-election. The announcement shook up the U.S. Senate race, with most of the Republicans vying for the spot dropping out.

Carlos Beruff, a Manatee County homebuilder, decided to stay in the race, but has faced an uphill battle in the primary. He has consistently trailed in the polls. A Florida Chamber Political Institute poll released Wednesday shows Rubio is at 68 percent, while Beruff is at 19 percent.

Combined with the backing of establishment Republicans — several of which encouraged him to run for re-election — it’s not surprising Rubio is running as though he’s already Republican nominee.

Rubio took aim at Rep. Patrick Murphy, the Treasure Coast Democrat widely believed to be the Democratic nominee. Rubio said Murphy came from extraordinary wealth who has “never had to worry one day in life.”

He also said Murphy, a member of Congress, is ranked as “one of the least effective legislators in all of Washington, D.C.”

That attack against Murphy is notable because Rubio has faced similar criticism in the past. During his failed presidential bid, he was castigated for his poor attendance in the Senate. And questions of what he has accomplished during his first term have already begun to bubble up in this election.

Rubio was in Fort Myers for the grand opening of a Republican Party of Florida Victory Office in Lee County. But the event had a re-election campaign vibe, as Rubio walked into the room to a crowd of voters chanting his name. The walls were decked out with Rubio signs, which also were posted outside of the event.

He used the event to remind voters of the importance of Southwest Florida to his election.

“It’s part of the state where Republicans need to do well if we’re going to have any chance of winning at a statewide level, whether it’s president or Senate,” he said.

Collier and Lee counties are Republican strongholds, both when it comes to donors and voters. Election records show there are 181,501 registered Republicans in Lee County, or about 44 percent of registered voters. There are 99,079 registered Republicans in Collier County, or about 51 percent of the county’s registered voters.

In 2010, Rubio won Lee County with 57 percent of the vote and Collier County with 63 percent of the vote.

“The stakes in this election aren’t just about party lines,” said Rubio. “It really is an election where we’re going to be asked to determine the identity of America in the 21st century.”