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Marco Rubio tells donors he is running for president

With a compelling life story and a talent for telling it, the Florida senator will pay homage Monday to the American Dream.

By Alex Isenstadt

Marco Rubio announced on Monday that he is running for president, sharing the news during a call with donors, ahead of an evening kick-off event at Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower.

The building, known as the Ellis Island of the South, is closely associated with the American immigrant experience — the Cuban version that serves as a cornerstone of Rubio’s persona. As the son of Cuban immigrants — his mother was a maid, his father a bartender — Rubio casts his life story as a South Florida version of the American Dream, and he frequently refers to America as “the place that literally changed the history of my family.”

His compelling biography, powerful speaking style and Hispanic surname helped fuel a rapid rise on the national stage. But his unsuccessful effort in 2013 to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill damaged his standing with conservatives. After facing ferocious attacks, Rubio backed away from the plan, instead throwing his support to a more piecemeal approach.

Advisers to Rubio said the 43-year-old first-term senator would hit a more uplifting and unifying note in his announcement speech, an address designed to showcase what they see as his chief asset: an ability to connect with voters on a visceral level. They previewed the speech on Friday, releasing a five-minute Web video that spotlighted the senator’s talent as a speaker. Included in the montage was Rubio’s well-received prime-time speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

“Sen. Rubio is really one of the Republican Party’s best communicators,” said Matt Moore, the South Carolina Republican Party chairman, who has not endorsed a candidate. “When he’s here, he’s able to connect with voters in a way that few elected officials can, and that’s a real advantage.”

Moore recalled attending a Rubio appearance in South Carolina in 2012. “You could cut the emotion with a knife,” he said, marveling at Rubio’s ability to work an audience.

Monday’s speech will highlight Rubio’s hawkish approach to foreign policy — especially his support for Israel — which he’s made a centerpiece of his agenda in recent years. But the focus will be the Florida senator’s life story and heritage.

There’s no better place to serve as a backdrop for that message than Freedom Tower, a Mediterranean-style building on Biscayne Boulevard, that served in the 1960s and 1970s as a processing center for Cubans seeking political asylum from Fidel Castro’s dictatorship. In the wake of a 2012 election thatsaw Republicans struggle to win over minorities, Rubio views his Hispanic immigrant background as a strength, one that reinforces his image as a newcomer and sets him apart in a crowded and nondiverse field of candidates.

“It’s a compelling personal story,” said Ninoska Pérez Castellón, a Cuban-American radio show host in Miami who’s known Rubio since the start of his political career in the late 1990s. “He’s always been very proud of his heritage, and he’s very open about it.”

Rubio’s launch takes place in the backyard — and to some extent, in the shadow of — of another Miami-based politician: former Gov. Jeb Bush. Bush, who is nearly two decades Rubio’s senior, was widely seen as Rubio’s mentor in Florida politics and Rubio as Bush’s ambitious lieutenant. In Rubio’s book, “An American Son,” he called Bush “the gold standard to Florida Republicans.”

Now, the two find themselves in direct competition for the GOP nomination, leaving some in the party to ask whether Bush’s candidacy will make it difficult for Rubio to raise money, especially in their shared home state. Many of Rubio’s financial supporters — who helped power his rise through the ranks of the state Legislature and to the surprise 2010 Senate win that catapulted him into national prominence — are torn between him and Bush.

In recent days, though, Rubio has told friends that he’s not bothered by Bush’s presence and that he is intent on waging his own campaign.

Even with the former governor in the race, Rubio’s advisers insist they’ll be able to raise enough money — in Florida and around the country — to be competitive. Braman, who has emerged as Rubio’s most prominent early donor, is expected to pour around $10 million into a super PAC, Conservative Solutions, that has been set up to support Rubio’s candidacy.

“Marco Rubio will have legs,” Braman said.

Still, there is little question that Bush’s candidacy will linger over the announcement. Rubio acknowledges it implicitly in his pre-launch Web video, by calling for “A New American Century” that begins with a generational battle between an older brand of leadership versus a fresher one.“They both represent conservatism that is acceptable to the establishment and mainstream conservatives. They’re both strong defense and foreign policy advocates,” said Republican pollster John McLaughlin, who’s worked for several past presidential candidates. “However, there’s a generational difference. Sen. Rubio is part of the tea party conservative generation which places him in competition with Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and even Gov. Scott Walker. Gov. Bush’s roots descend from the Reagan/Bush generation of conservatism.”

While many of his rivals are seeking support from narrow segments of the party, Rubio views himself as the most broadly palatable candidate — one who can win over all of the party’s disparate constituencies. Should other candidates — such as Bush — falter, Rubio’s advisers argue that he’ll be well positioned to move in on their bases of support and ultimately be the last man standing.

“There is a significant amount of excitement to see Sen. Rubio here in Iowa, and it’s been across the spectrum,” said Matt Strawn, a former Iowa Republican Party chairman who is neutral in the primary. “He has the potential to draw support from across the electorate.”

Rubio would become the fourth declared candidate in the 2016 campaign. Two other Republican senators, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have already announced their candidacies; on Sunday, Hillary Clinton announced via social media that she’s seeking the Democratic nomination. Rubio’s advisers have said they were aware of the possibility that Clinton’s announcement could precede theirs, but insisted it will not have an overshadowing effect — despite her bracketing of Rubio’s launch with a Sunday tease, followed by highly anticipated events Tuesday in Iowa.

“Sen. Rubio is running like a NASCAR driver drafting closely behind the leaders waiting for the right opening to slingshot into the lead,” said McLaughlin. “He has options to go further right or more towards the establishment, but it’s all within a conservative band.”