Marco Rubio Dashes to Important Primary State of South Carolina

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, is getting increasingly active in South Carolina which traditionally holds the first presidential primary in the South.

Held after Iowa and New Hampshire have their say, South Carolina has been the decisive tie-breaker in many recent Republican presidential primary contests. Set up by Lee Atwater to help George H.W. Bush, the eventual Republican presidential nominee won the South Carolina primary in 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2008 after Iowa and New Hampshire broke for different candidates. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., ended the streak in 2008 when he defeated former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., in the Palmetto State.

Rubio will be in Anderson on Monday as the keynote speaker for U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncans, R-S.C., Faith and Freedom BBQ.

Im honored to have a solid conservative like Sen. Rubio come to South Carolina to headline this event, said Duncan when he announced the event back in July. Sen. Rubio shares South Carolinas values of limited government and individual liberty, and Im looking forward to having him visit our state.