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GOP elites rally to Rubio in bid to stop Trump

By Nick Gass

Bolstered by a second-place finish in South Carolina and Jeb Bush's exit from the 2016 race, Marco Rubio is receiving a flood of endorsements from fellow Republican politicians.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a senior member of the Republican caucus, said on Monday that he’s now backing his colleague after previously backing Bush.

"By any measure he's one of these people you can trust. He's honest, energetic and trustworthy," Hatch said. "He's an honorable person."

Hatch, speaking to reporters, also got in a swipe at Trump, saying the Republican frontrunner is "not ready to be president of United States."

Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole also switched from Bush to Rubio on Monday, telling ABC News that unlike Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Rubio "wants to grow the party." Dole had previously said that he would support Rubio if the former governor of Florida was no longer in contention.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis also announced their backing of Rubio early Monday, the latest in a string of endorsements from his Republican congressional colleagues. "He has the unique capability of drawing new people into the party, which is critically important in a swing state like North Carolina," Tillis said in a statement released by the campaign.

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake followed suit later in the afternoon, citing his former Gang of Eight colleague's "ideas," "principles" and "toughness" to reform Washington. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his support of Rubio on Monday afternoon, comparing him to Ronald Reagan.

Indiana Sen. Dan Coates jumped in, too, telling the local ABC affiliate that, “I have sat literally side-by-side with Marco on the Senate Intelligence Committee for over five years and have witnessed up close his grasp of complex issues and readiness to lead our nation as commander-in-chief.”

Rubio laps the rest of the GOP field in major endorsements, with Cruz and Trump finding little support from serving officials despite their leading position in the polls and delegate counts.

And it wasn’t just politicians throwing their support behind Rubio. The Boston Herald on Monday switched its endorsement from Chris Christie, who dropped out of the race earlier this month, to Rubio. “Now it is clear that, in what is for all practical purposes a three-way race, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida represents the Republicans’ best hope to bring the party and the country together,” the paper said.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty kicked off the gush of endorsements on Monday morning, hailing the Florida senator as the best candidate to unite the party.

“I think it comes down to this — he’s strong, he’s also informed, he’s conservative and he’s also electable and he can unite the party," Pawlenty, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate told CNN's "New Day." "And you can’t ask for much more than that. I think he’s got the total package and I think he’s going to bring forward the strongest voice, the strongest image and really the most thoughtful and informed strong view on how to move this country forward from a conservative perspective."

Calling Rubio a part of the establishment would be a "misreading" of his political origins, Pawlenty argued, noting that the senator was elected in 2010 as part of the tea party wave that ushered in a Republican-dominated Congress.

"He's bold, he's next-generation, he's reform-minded, change-oriented. I think what people want in Donald Trump is strength. In Marco Rubio, you get that same strength, but it's an informed strength," Pawlenty said, remarking that those qualities are important when it comes to matters of national security for example.

Asked which state he thought Rubio could win, Pawlenty said that he could "get well politically" by winning his home state of Florida, despite Trump leading most polls in that state. As for whether Ohio Gov. John Kasich should exit the race, Pawlenty demurred.

"I do think, however, at this point, you've got to look at who's got a realistic shot to win based on resources, message and the like, and you've got to consolidate support," he added.

Pawlenty's endorsement comes a day before Rubio is set to hold a rally in Minneapolis.

B.J. Nikkel, the co-chair of Kasich's campaign in Colorado, on Sunday announced that she would instead back Rubio, telling POLITICO on Monday that it is time to "stop splitting the vote so we can unite our party."

"I’ve always loved Marco Rubio and love many of the same things about him that I love about Gov. Kasich too," said Nikkel, who will co-chair Rubio's Colorado campaign as well.