This week, the media was filled with headlines about the possibility that Florida Senator Marco Rubio could be Donald Trump's pick for vice president. Several sources assured that the former president has him among his favorites and that the chances of a Hispanic becoming vice president for the first time are high. Indeed, Rubio has always been a child prodigy in politics, successfully achieving everything he undertakes. Furthermore, in a year in which the Hispanic vote plays a fundamental role in winning the presidency, Rubio could prove to be a trump card.
The 52-year-old senator not only gives a great sense of pride to the Cuban community but also enjoys tremendous popularity among Hispanics. He has been in the Senate for three terms and has established himself as the most influential Republican in international politics. During the Trump administration, it was Rubio who almost single-handedly directed policy towards Latin America, making great progress in pressuring the Cuban dictatorship and the tyranny of Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela, which earned him the respect and affection of millions of Hispanics.
Rubio also has an impeccable presence on camera as he expresses himself clearly and forcefully in the media. His youth and energetic character contrast strongly with the decadent image projected by the Biden-Harris ticket. However, it is not only about his presence and what he projects but also his proven effectiveness, as he has been declared the Republican with the highest influence in the Senate and second most effective.
Another of his great strengths is that both sides respect him. Although he enjoys wide acceptance among conservatives, he also has many bipartisan bills on his record, and his influence expands to the Senate floor. Regarding his political ideology, he is recognized as conservative but not an extremist, which is a highly desired attribute in a general election.
It is estimated that this year, 36.2 million Hispanics have the right to vote, a considerable amount in such a tight presidential race. But above all, a substantial amount for Trump, who knows that the Hispanic and Afro-American vote is one of the pillars that supports the Democrats. Biden is so worried about losing the Hispanic vote that he has launched his "Latinos with Biden-Harris" campaign, and this week in Nevada, he told the Hispanic community: "I desperately need your help."
Rubio is a powerful asset among Hispanics and Americans in general. His career has been full of enormous successes, and he has always won even though many—including within the Republican Party—bet against him. The only time he did not achieve what he set out to do was precisely because Trump beat him in the race to be the Republican presidential nominee, so the Trump-Rubio duo would be a powerful team.
A brilliant political career
Rubio has a great success story. He comes from a Cuban family that started from scratch in this country and has seen their son rise from Calle Ocho in Miami to reach the Capitol in Washington, D.C. His father worked as a bartender and his mother was a hotel waitress.
At just 21 years old, in Miami, Rubio called Lincoln Díaz-Balart's campaign for Congress and signed up as a volunteer. The senator said he spent his days learning Miami politics from scratch that summer. After that, a career full of success awaited him.
In January 2000, at age 28, he became a member of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2005, Governor Jeb Bush anointed him as Speaker of the State House, the first Cuban-American to obtain that position. He remained Speaker from 2006 to 2008.
In 2010, at only 39 years old and facing skepticism from much of the Republican Party, Rubio became a senator after defeating the popular Florida governor Charlie Crist in an outcome that took many by surprise.
In 2015, he decided to launch his presidential campaign but withdrew from the race after losing the Republican primary in Florida against Donald Trump. In 2019, he returned to the Senate, and in 2022, he was re-elected for the third time.
Rubio is considered one of the Republicans with the highest level of leadership. According to GovTrack, he is the highest-ranking Republican, measured by how often other members of Congress co-sponsor his bills.
He is also considered one of the most effective, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, which found that Rubio is the second most effective senator within the Republican Party, evaluated by his success in enacting laws and bills.
Political positions
According to GovTrack, Rubio is ranked 15th in terms of right-wing political ideology. In the economic arena, he supports tax cuts and recognizes the need for a balanced budget. He constantly criticizes President Biden's economic policy and says that the current administration's policies hurt Americans.
Regarding abortion, he has always been pro-life. On issues of gender ideology, he has opposed the teaching of these ideas in schools and has presented bills to prohibit state funding for hospitals that promote radical agendas.
Perhaps one of the fields in which he is best known is international politics, not only concerning Latin America, an area in which, for decades, he has been one of the most influential politicians, but also in matters related to China and its influence in the United States.
Rubio led the Senate in authorizing and passing the Secure Equipment Act that prevents the government from issuing new licenses to Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE, which allow Xi Jinping's dictatorship to spy on Americans.
Regarding the controversial bill already approved in the House of Representatives to force TikTok to change ownership and separate itself from its parent company located in China, Senator Rubio said he will do everything he can to ensure the law is also approved in the Senate.
His influence on foreign policy
Senator Rubio has been so influential on foreign policy that he was described as the "virtual secretary of state for Latin America" during the Trump administration. Rubio is one of the senators who has most strongly opposed the Castro regime in Cuba. During the Trump administration, he worked hand in hand with the president to reverse the concessions given to the dictatorship under the Obama administration. Among his best-known achievements is the Cuban Military Transparency Act, which became the basis for preventing financial transactions that benefit the dictatorship's army.
Rubio enjoys high popularity and support not only within the Cuban community but among Hispanics in general, as he has opposed all communist dictatorships in the region, constantly strongly condemning their actions and presenting projects to try to weaken those regimes.
Regarding Venezuela, Rubio has been one of the senators who has most strongly condemned Nicolás Maduro's tyranny. He was perhaps the reason why the United States recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president and did not acknowledge Maduro after the false elections of 2019 in Venezuela. Rubio also co-authored the "VERDAD" bill, a bipartisan law that allocated $400 million for humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees.
From the White House to Capitol Hill, as well as in the media, Senator Rubio is one of the most decisive figures in terms of foreign policy. He is the voice who explains to the Republican Party and many media outlets what is happening in Latin America.
