NASHUA, N.H. — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shut out reporters and gave exclusives only to local news outlets at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit Friday.
Rubio remained a long shot in the polls as he traveled to New Hampshire, and unlike those who are polling at his level, the Florida Republican’s actions are those of a front-runner.
Rubio’s new confidence may come from numbers in Florida that show him running even with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. However, Bush has yet to announce and the poll was revealed immediately after Rubio’s own announcement for the 2016 presidential race. The Florida Republican may also be running like he is ahead because his campaign has $40 million dollars worth of donor cash.
“Marco Rubio will have the resources necessary to run a first-class campaign, that’s already been determined,” billionaire Florida auto dealer Norman Braman, a former Jeb Bush supporter, told Reuters.
Rubio, though, was taking no questions about his new found status, but he brought up the issue of candidate availability during his remarks Friday night, before he was whisked away later on.
“One person who has spent a few days in a very nice van traveling around. She’s on her way here to New Hampshire and is going to go to very coordinated events where she will not talk to the press and won’t talk to average Americans unless they used to work for Obama,” he said, knocking Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Rubio later said, “We have an obligation and responsibility here in New Hampshire to make sure that after we fully vet the candidates, we select the most appropriate individual and get behind that person who becomes our nominee.” He added, “It is so important to change the direction of this country and the only way we can do it is by taking the White House in 2016.”