Marco Antonio Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida, serving since January 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
A Cuban American native of Miami, Florida, Rubio is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Miami Law School. In the late 1990s, he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.
Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martinez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead to run with no party affiliation. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 with 48.9 percent of the vote. He is one of three Latinos (all Cuban Americans) in the Senate, along with Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ted Cruz of Texas.
Senator Rubio is a proponent of lessening the power of the federal government and returning that power to the states. He strongly opposes the Affordable Care Act, and wishes to pursue patient-based reform as president. He opposes Common Core standards, saying that education is best when parents and local school systems have the most control over the education process. He says that the higher education system is corrupt, and that we as a country must remove the stigma surrounding vocational education. He supports traditional values, but emphasizes the mixed culture of America.
Senator Rubio has been a strong voice on foreign policy issues such as his denouncement of the Iran Nuclear Deal, which he believes gives Iran a path to a nuclear weapon. He believes that the world is safest when a strong America leads with moral clarity. He is a staunch supporter of the state of Israel.
Senator Rubio believes that the US must restore its military spending to pre-Obama Administration levels. He has called for an increase in air and drone strikes on ISIS military targets. He does not endorse entering into another ground war, instead calling on nearby Sunni Arab nations to join the fight against ISIS. He has denounced Russia's involvement in the Syrian civil war, citing concerns with Russia's neutrality given previous affinity for Bashar Al-Assad.
Senator Rubio has called for increased border security, including a new mandatory E-Verify entry-exit tracking system. He does support a path to legal status for those here illegally after they pay a fine, learn English, and go through the same system as everyone else. He has supported reforming the immigration process, making it based more on merit and less on family connections.
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