“It always comes down to Florida, doesn’t it?”
With this statement and several impassioned pleas, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio drove home just how vital Florida will be to the success of his campaign at a rally in Nocatee on Tuesday evening.
Rubio’s delegate count lags behind competitors Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. The winner of Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary on March 15 will take all 99 delegates.
Rubio was joined in Nocatee by an estimated thousands of supporters, as well as St. Johns County Clerk of Courts Hunter Conrad and St. Augustine City Commissioner Todd Neville.
“The Democrats know that I will win,” Rubio said, receiving cheers from those gathered. “I cannot wait to run against Hillary Clinton because Hillary Clinton is unqualified to be president of the United States.”
The Florida-raised Rubio spoke about his time in the state house, where he cut taxes and attempted even deeper cuts through tax code reform.
Ahead of the rally, Rubio’s campaign announced backing from many Northeast Florida officials, including Jacksonville City Council members, Florida Representatives and Senators, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham and Atlantic Beach Mayor Mitch Reives.
Tuesday’s rally was Rubio’s second on the First Coast in a week, with the first at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium in Jacksonville on March 5.
