Miami Herald, Rubio’s Hometown Paper, Latest to Endorse Patrick After Endorsing Rubio Six Years Ago
In the latest sign that Floridians have had enough of Marco Rubio’s self-serving, absentee style of representation in the U.S. Senate, the Miami Herald—Rubio’s hometown paper—endorsed Patrick Murphy to be Florida’s next Senator. As the paper wrote:
“Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a test of character, and Sen. Rubio is failing that test…It reeks of political convenience rather than political conviction.”
…
“Rep. Murphy will fight for the right issues, as he stated in his debate with Sen. Rubio on Monday. He supports the diplomatic opening to Cuba, reasonable gun-control measures, the Affordable Care Act, measures to rein in climate change and Roe v. Wade — as well as comprehensive immigration reform and filling the Supreme Court vacancy.”
The Miami Herald endorsement marks a sweep for Patrick Murphy of Florida’s four largest newspapers; Murphy also won the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Sun Sentinel. Three of those papers—the Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, and Sun Sentinel—all endorsed Rubio six years ago, but are pulling their endorsements after watching Rubio spend his time in Washington focusing more on his own interests than those of Florida families.
Read more about why Florida has had enough of No-Show Marco and instead is ready for Patrick Murphy’s Florida first, common sense approach to leadership:
Sun Sentinel: “But we don’t find that Rubio has an important record of accomplishment. Instead, we see a senator who too often adopted his party’s most extreme positions. As part and parcel of that, we see a senator who did nothing to break the partisan deadlock that plagues Congress. And we see a senator who — for personal political convenience — abandons his own principles…While a Sen. Rubio primarily would serve Sen. Rubio, a Sen. Murphy would serve Floridians.”
Orlando Sentinel: “Until now, we have never missed an opportunity to recommend Marco Rubio to voters…[Murphy] also has earned a good reputation for constituent service, a responsibility that looms even more important for a senator who would represent 20 million people…So if Rubio is re-elected to the Senate, and decides to pivot for another run for the White House in a couple of years, Floridians won’t be getting the full attention that they expect and deserve. They also are more likely to see him do things, like retreating on immigration reform, that make more sense for a GOP presidential candidate than a sitting Florida senator.”
Tampa Bay Times: “Democrat Patrick Murphy of Jupiter has served just two terms in the House, but he is a centrist who is right on the issues and works in a bipartisan fashion. Incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami is on the wrong side of most every issue, and he changed his mind about seeking re-election after he was crushed by Donald Trump in the Florida presidential primary. A Senate seat should not be a consolation prize for a failed presidential candidate killing time until his next run for the White House.”
