While GOP leaders are desperately trying to get no-show Senator Marco Rubio to run for re-election, a new poll today showcased a hard truth for the incumbent Senator: Floridians just aren’t that into him.
After a disastrous presidential run that exposed his absentee record, out-of-touch positions, and empty suit politics, Rubio’s approval numbers are a scary 22 points underwater—with 54% of Floridians disapproving of his job performance—making him one of the least popular Senators in the country. He does even worse with independents, who disapprove of his job performance by almost 30 points.
With these numbers, it’s no surprise that only 39% of Florida voters think he should run again, while more than half are against a re-election bid.
Even if Rubio decided to back away from his promise and run again, he’d start out at a disadvantage—trailing Patrick Murphy 44-43 even though Murphy’s name ID is much lower than Rubio’s at 38%. Or as pollster Dean Debnam put it, “If he runs for the Senate there’s a pretty good chance he’s going to suffer two political defeats in one year.”
“While the Washington Republican cloak room is salivating over another Rubio run, the fact is there’s no appetite amongst Floridians for another term from no-show Rubio. Rubio has demonstrated that he wasn’t that into his job as a Senator, so it’s no surprise his constituents just aren’t that into him.”—DSCC spokesperson Sam Lau
In the past week, Florida papers have eviscerated Rubio’s record and lack of service to the state:
