April 13 launch

Marco Rubio looks to April 13 Miami launch

The Florida senator is eyeing the iconic Freedom Tower, a landmark for Cuban immigrants.

By Alex Isenstadt and Marc Caputo

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is strongly considering launching his presidential campaign April 13 at the Freedom Tower, a historic Miami landmark known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” according to Republicans familiar with his thinking.

From its name to its history — it once served as a U.S. clearinghouse for Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro — Miami’s Mediterranean-style Freedom Tower underscores the themes of Rubio’s political career and his likely campaign. He’s a first-generation son of immigrants who has sought to make the American dream synonymous with his biography.

Rubio’s possible April 13 launch date was first reported by The Tampa Bay Times. However, the Miami Heat plays against the Orlando Magic that evening at American Airlines Arena, which sits right across Biscayne Boulevard — raising the prospect of a traffic nightmare. And the Freedom Tower hasn’t yet been secured by Rubio’s Washington-based team, which will inspect it this week to see if it’s the right venue.

They’re also considering other locations, which have yet to surface publicly.

Rubio would be the third Republican to formally enter the field. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz launched his campaign during an appearance March 23 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is expected to announce his bid at Louisville’s Galt House Hotel on April 7. Democrat Hillary Clinton is also likely to officially launch her 2016 effort soon.

Rubio’s advisers are closely monitoring Clinton’s possible announcement date in an attempt to ensure the Florida senator can own the news cycle.

Rubio was last at the Freedom Tower on Feb. 9 to celebrate graduates of a small business program funded by Goldman Sachs at Miami-Dade College, which owns the Freedom Tower.

“The American dream isn’t about how much money you make or about how much you own. The American dream is about being happy,” Rubio told the packed room at the building. “Anyone from anywhere can accomplish anything. You can dream big.”

The Freedom Tower, which has signified different phases of the city’s history, vividly symbolizes that promise of America that Rubio frequently speaks about. It was completed in 1925 and served as the headquarters for the Miami News, which moved out in 1957. After Castro rose to power, the federal government used the tower as an office to process exiles fleeing the dictatorship.

Today, it’s controlled by Miami-Dade College and is used as a museum, a gathering place for announcements about Cuba and a U.S. Department of State “media hub” to broadcast and discuss Latin American policy.

“This is Miami’s signature building. It symbolizes the city’s history,” Miami-Dade College President Eduardo Padron told POLITICO.

A few days after Rubio last spoke at the Freedom Tower in February, he made a high-profile appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, where he stressed that his interest in politics is rooted in his background as the child of Cuban immigrants who “came with no money, no connections” — an implied contrast with Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who have faced criticism for the dynastic nature of their candidacies.

“The only reason I want to be in public service,” Rubio said, “is because I believe I owe a debt to America.”

Rubio told the story of his parents’ emigration from Cuba in a well-received speech to the 2012 Republican National Convention before a nationwide television audience.

The Miami venue, located in the backyard of both Rubio and Bush, serves as a reminder of the overlapping circles surrounding the two candidates. Bush donated to Rubio’s first run for elective office, a West Miami city commission seat in 1998, and introduced Rubio at his election night party in 2010 when he defeated Republican-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

Alex Conant, a Rubio spokesman, said the campaign would soon make public a location and time for an announcement. “We’ll lock it in early next week and let everyone know,” he wrote in an email.