Most of the Republican field has cleared the path for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to run for reelection this year except real estate developer Carlos Beruff, who is holding out to face off against Rubio in the primary.
Just a few days before the filing deadline, Rubio announced he would jump into the U.S. Senate race for another term.
Rubio had taken his name out of the running during his bid for the Republican presidential nomination but said he changed his mind after a terror attack at an Orlando nightclub earlier this month.
Beruff has wasted no time laying into Rubio, calling him a “political hack.”
Beruff is a political outsider, angling himself similarly to how GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump has positioned his candidacy during this year’s presidential primary. Support for Trump has swept the nation and many Republicans have clung close to the outsider narrative Trump gives.
That angle has become especially clear in recent weeks, with Beruff boasting his support for Trump in the midst of a controversial election cycle.
The backlash over Trump has rippled into rifts with other established Republican politicians, some of whom say they won’t be supporting Trump.
Some Republicans have said they won’t be supporting Trump at the Republican National Convention next month in Cleveland and will not speak on Trump’s behalf.
Beruff says he relates.
“Donald Trump is a businessman with real-world experience who’s looking to shake up the status quo in Washington. So am I,” he said in a statement. “The career politicians in Washington are always afraid to lose power and candidates like Trump and myself challenge their authority. It’s no surprise that Marco Rubio and others are shying away from supporting Donald Trump.”
But while some Republicans are hesitant to support Trump at the convention, Beruff says he’s more than happy to step in on his Republican primary opponent’s behalf.
“I’m happy to take Marco Rubio’s slot at the Republican National Convention because I’m not ashamed of Donald Trump as our nominee,” he said. “Trump is motivating voters across Florida and the country who have felt ignored by the Republican and Democratic establishment alike. He’s looking to shake up Washington and I’m behind him 100%.”
Rubio has said he supports Trump as the GOP nominee, but did say he would fight against some of Trump’s policies on immigration if he is reelected this year.
"The reality of it is, you can't do it," Rubio said this weekend on CBS’ “Face the Nation”.
"You can't round up and deport 11 million people,” he continued. “There are people that need to be deported. Criminals need to be deported. But you can't round up and deport 11, ten, nine million people. The American people wouldn't stand for it once they saw what it would take to make that happen."
Trump will secure the party's official nomination at the RNC in July.
Reach Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com and follow her on Twitter @AllisonNielsen.
