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| Rubio leads in aggregate general election polling to date.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/2010_florida_senate_race.html</ref> | Rubio leads in aggregate general election polling to date.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/2010_florida_senate_race.html</ref> | ||
| Rubio refuses to disclose financial information related to accusations of unethical use of Republican Party credit cards. | |||
| ==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Revision as of 18:15, 1 November 2010
| Marco Antonio Rubio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Allan Bense |
| Succeeded by | Ray Sansom |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th district | |
| In office January 25, 2000 – January 2, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Valdes |
| Succeeded by | Erik Fresen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 53) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanette Dousdebes; 4 children |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is a Cuban-American conservative politician and lawyer. Rubio was the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives during the 2007 and 2008 legislative sessions. He was first elected to the Florida House as a Republican on January 25, 2000, from the 111th district. He is the GOP nominee for the Florida U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez and currently held by George LeMieux.
Early life, education and career
Rubio is the second son and third child of Cuban exiles Mario Rubio (1927–2010) and Oria Garcia (born 1931), and was born in Miami, Florida. His siblings are: Mario (born 1950), Barbara (born 1960) and Veronica (born 1972). He is a Roman Catholic and fluent in Spanish. His father was a bartender and his mother worked as a hotel housekeeper in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rubio lived in Las Vegas from 1979 to 1985, before his family returned to Miami in the summer of 1985. 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 College and the University of Florida. He earned his B.S. in political science from the University of Florida in 1993 and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami in 1996. While studying law, he interned for Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Political career
Marco Rubio served as a City Commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives for the 111th District in a special election on January 25, 2000 and won each of his re-election bids. In November 2006, he was elected Speaker of the Florida State House for the 2006-08 term.
He is the author of 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future. The book was compiled from Rubio's travels around the state to gather ideas from 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. During 2007, Marco Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system. He argued it would reduce property taxes and decrease the size of government.
2010 U.S. Senate campaign
On May 5, 2009, Rubio announced on his website that he planned to run for the United States Senate in 2010 for the Republican seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, who has since 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 Wednesday, 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 Senate.
Rubio leads in aggregate general election polling to date.
Rubio refuses to disclose financial information related to accusations of unethical use of Republican Party credit cards.
Personal life
Rubio is married to Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader (1997) of Colombian descent, and they have four children. Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida.
References
- Rubio's father dies at 83, Beth Reinhard, Miami Herald, September 5, 2010
- Sun Sentinel report on Rubio
- Beth Reinhard (March 5, 2009). "Marco Rubio quietly registers to run for U.S. Senate". Miami Herald.
- Quinnipiac poll results
- "Rasmussen Reports - Florida Republic Senate primary". Retrieved 2010-02-27.
- "Crist to Run as Independent in FL Sen RaceLiveshots". Liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com. April 28, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
- Romm, Tony (2010-04-18). "McConnell: Crist would lose all GOP support if he ran as independent". Thehill.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
- Martin, Jonathan (April 17, 2010). "Top Charlie Crist supporters torn over indy bid". Politico. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Marco Rubio Wins Florida GOP Senate Primary
- http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/2010_florida_senate_race.html
- Rettig, Jessica. "10 Things You Didn't Know About Marco Rubio." U.S. News and World Report. 2010-05-04.
- "Representative Marco Rubio." Florida House of Representatives.
- "Marco 101." Marco Rubio for US Senate.
External links
- Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate official campaign site
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byMel Martinez | Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Florida (Class 3) 2010 |
Succeeded byCurrent |
- 1971 births
- American Roman Catholic politicians
- American politicians of Cuban descent
- Florida city councillors
- Florida lawyers
- Florida Republicans
- Living people
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- People from Miami, Florida
- Republican Party (United States) politicians
- Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives
- Tea Party movement
- University of Florida alumni
- University of Miami alumni
- Candidates in United States elections, 2010