Marco Rubio

Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida, serving since January 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (2007–2009).

A Cuban American native of Miami, Florida, Rubio is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Miami Law School. In the late 1990s, he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.

Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martinez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead for an independent run. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 with 48.9 percent of the vote.

The term "crown prince of the Tea Party movement" has been used both as praise and ridicule, although Rubio has no direct connection to that movement. He had been mentioned as a potential choice for the Republican vice presidential nomination in 2012 but said he was not interested. In June 2012, it was reported that Mitt Romney was vetting Rubio as a possible running mate; however, Romney ultimately selected Paul Ryan.

Early life, education, and early political career
Rubio was born in Miami, Florida, the second son and third child of Mario Rubio and Oria Garcia. His parents were Cubans who had immigrated to the United States in 1956 and were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1975. Rubio's maternal grandfather immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 without a visa and was detained by immigration authorities. An immigration judge ordered Rubio's grandfather deported, but ultimately U.S. immigration authorities used their discretion to allow him to remain in the U.S. without a visa. The Associated Press reported that "no other immigration records exist for Garcia from 1962 until he applied for residency four years later" and concluded that he likely remained in the U.S. illegally during the intervening period.

Rubio's family was Roman Catholic, though from age 8 to age 11, he and his family attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they lived in Las Vegas. He received his first communion as a Catholic in 1984, before moving back to Miami with his family a year later. He was confirmed and married in the Catholic Church.

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School and graduated in 1989. He then attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship from 1989 to 1990, before enrolling at Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College). He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1993, and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.

While studying law, he interned for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. He served as City Commissioner for West Miami.

Elections
Rubio was elected at the age of 28 to the Florida House of Representatives, representing Miami in Florida's 111th House District. He defeated Democrat Anastasia M. Garcia 72%-28% in a January 2000 special election. In November 2000, he won re-election unopposed. In 2002, he won re-election to a second full term unopposed. In 2004, he won re-election to a third full term with 66% of the vote. In 2006, he won re-election to a fourth full term unopposed.

Tenure
Rubio was named Freshman of the Year by the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association.

He is the author of the book 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future, which includes information that Rubio compiled while traveling around the state and talking with citizens. This was done through what Rubio calls "Idearaisers". Many of the issues that he pushed for in his first year as speaker came from ideas in this book. In 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system, arguing it would reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government.

During his tenure serving as Speaker of the Florida House, Rubio shared his residence with another Florida State Representative, David Rivera. The two men co-owned a home together in Tallahassee, which later fell into foreclosure after deferring months of mortgage payments. This issue surfaced in June 2010, during Rubio's run for the US Senate but was considered resolved according to Rubio's spokesman.

In December 2002, Rubio was appointed House Majority Leader by Speaker Johnnie Byrd. In November 2003, Rubio clinched the Speakership after State Representatives Dennis Baxley, Jeff Kottkamp, and Dennis A. Ross dropped out. He became the first Cuban American to become Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

Committee assignments

 * 2000
 * Community Colleges & Career Prep
 * Elder Affairs & Long-Term Care
 * Finance & Taxation
 * Joint Legislative Committee on Article V
 * Real Property & Probate


 * 2001-2003
 * Banking
 * Claims
 * General Government Appropriations
 * Health Regulation
 * Procedural & Redistricting Council (Group A)
 * Procedural & Redistricting Council (Group D)
 * Select Committee of the Whole
 * Select Committee on Security
 * Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations


 * 2004
 * Appropriations
 * Policy
 * Select Committee of the Whole
 * Select Committee on Affordable Housing


 * 2005-2009
 * Select Committee to Protect Private Property Rights (Chair)
 * Fiscal Council
 * Rules & Calendar Council
 * Select Committee on Medicaid Reform
 * Spaceport & Technology Committee

2010 election


On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez, who had resigned and been replaced by George LeMieux. Prior to the announcement, he had been meeting with fundraisers and supporters throughout the state. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Governor of his own party, Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed Crist in polling for the Republican nomination.

On April 28, 2010, Crist announced he would be running as an independent, effectively ceding the Republican nomination to Rubio. Several of Crist's top fundraisers, as well as Republican leadership, refused to support Crist after Rubio won the Republican nomination for the Senate.

On November 2, 2010, Marco Rubio won the general election with 48.9 percent of the vote to Crist's 29.7 and Democrat Kendrick Meek's 20.1. On May 20, 2011, Marco Rubio visited Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuño, and made a statement of wanting to "represent the Puerto Ricans" since he already felt he owed those who had voted for him in the Florida election.

Following his victory in the elections, Rubio soon became the subject of speculation as a potential Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Rubio stated shortly after taking office that he has no interest in running for president or vice president in 2012.

Tenure
Upon taking office, Rubio hired Cesar Conda, former lobbyist and policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney as his chief of staff.

Rubio cosponsored a resolution, which was passed, to declare September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.

Rubio's amendment, co-sponsored by Joe Manchin, to allow employers to be exempted from newly mandated coverage for contraception, based on religious or moral grounds by such employers, did not pass the Senate.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
 * Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
 * Subcommittee on Science and Space
 * Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
 * Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Ranking Member)
 * Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs
 * Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 * Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
 * Select Committee on Intelligence
 * Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Personal life
Rubio married Jeanette Dousdebes, a former bank teller and Miami Dolphins cheerleader, in 1997. She is of Colombian descent, and together they have four children named Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic. Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida. Rubio attends Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist churches in West Kendall, Florida. Rubio in 2012 said, "I'm a Roman Catholic. I'm theologically in line with the Roman Catholic Church. I believe in the authority of the church, but I also have tremendous respect for my brothers and sisters in other Christian faiths.  I recognize, as the Catholic Church does, that there are excellent teachings of the Word throughout other denominations. " Rubio has stated he is a hip hop music fan stating his favourite artists from the genre as N.W.A., Tupac Shakur and Eminem.

"Son of exiles"
In October 2011, the St. Petersburg Times and The Washington Post reported that Rubio's previous statements that his parents were forced to leave Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, were incorrect as they had in fact left Cuba in 1956 during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. According to The Washington Post, Rubio's "embellishments" resonate with many voters in Florida, who would not be as impressed by his family being economic migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. instead of political refugees from a communist regime.

Rubio responded, "The real essence of my family's story is not about the date my parents first entered the United States. Or whether they traveled back and forth between the two nations. Or even the date they left Fidel Castro's Cuba forever and permanently settled here. The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place; and why they had to stay."

Electoral history
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