Marco Rubio can be pardoned if he has a little indigestion before his Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday as a new poll shows his presidential aspirations have totally collapsed.
Quinnipiac University has a new national poll showing Rubio tied for ninth place in a Republican presidential primary, tied with the likes of Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Rick Perry. Thats a far cry from a Quinnipiac poll from April 2013 which had Rubio out front ahead of the crowded pack.
Granted, presidential nominations are not won at the national level. A candidate can do well in Iowa or New Hampshire and burst onto the scene, even while struggling in the national polls.
But Rubio should include the new Q-poll in his calculations as he decides whether to run for the presidency or a second term in the Senate in 2016. Rubios collapse at the national level is the result of his support for immigration reform as a leader of the Senates Gang of Eight. It simply did not play well with conservatives and Rubios presidential ambitions are paying the price.
With Barack Obamas executive action giving amnesty to millions of illegals, immigration will be one of the chief issues in the months to come as presidential candidates try to position themselves for 2016. If Republicans want to make 2016 a referendum in part on Obamas amnesty, Rubio is not their best candidate. Rubio might not agree with Obama on amnesty but he is damaged goods on immigration; much like Mitt Romney was not the best candidate to make the case against Obamacare last time out.
Rubio will be pressured to run again for re-election as the GOP looks to keep control of the Senate in 2016. While he has been vocal about his displeasure of serving in the Senate under Harry Reid, Rubio should find being in the majority a better experience.
Things are not shaping up well for Rubio. Hell be hard-pressed to make a strong showing in Iowa despite hitting the stump for Joni Ernst. New Hampshire and South Carolina are friendlier territory but Rubio would face challenges in both states, especially if Lindsey Graham jumps in. Rubio will need all the breaks to go his way to get to Florida and thats without including Jeb Bush in the calculations.
Its increasingly appearing that Rubio doesnt have much of a path to the presidency for the moment, as the new poll shows. Rubio would be better advised to remain in the Senate come 2016.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
