6-year term?

Rubio won't commit to serving 6-year term

By Nolan D. McCaskill

Marco Rubio on Monday refused to commit to serving a full six-year term in the Senate should he win reelection. And the former Republican presidential candidate subtly suggested that if he ran for the White House again, he would be prepared to leave politics behind if he lost.

“No one can make that commitment because you don’t know what the future’s gonna hold in your life personally or politically,” the Florida senator told CNN on Monday, opening the door for a presidential run when asked if he could commit to a full Senate term before seemingly slamming it shut in the next breath.

Rubio, who’s expected to win the primary in his Senate race Tuesday, leads Democrat Patrick Murphy by nearly 6 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average of state polls. Murphy, a Florida congressman, is favored to prevail in his primary against Rep. Alan Grayson.

Murphy seized on Rubio’s comment that “no one” could make such a commitment, retweeting his remarks while boasting, “I can.”

Rubio initially vowed to return to private life if his presidential run failed. But the Florida senator was encouraged by his GOP allies in the Senate to seek reelection and ultimately did, telling CNN in June that he simply changed his mind.

And, although he left the door open to another presidential bid, Rubio was noncommittal Monday about his future plans.

“I can commit to you this, and that is that if I am running to be a U.S. senator, I am fully prepared to allow the U.S. Senate to be the last political office I ever hold,” he said.

Rubio’s statements are in keeping with his pledge last year to seek the presidency or retire from politics — only to reverse himself.

As he runs for reelection, Rubio has been walking a fine line with regard to the Republican presidential nominee, putting some distance between himself and Donald Trump while refusing to disavow him.

Rubio dismissed Trump’s deportation force as an unrealistic proposal but maintained that a wall should be built across key sectors of the U.S.-Mexico border, though he cautioned that Mexico will not pay for it, as Trump has said since he launched his campaign. And the senator also downplayed his past criticisms of the real estate mogul.

“Right now the primary’s over. The Republican voters have chosen a nominee and we have a choice between two people,” he said. “I do disagree with Donald on a number of things. I disagree with Hillary Clinton on everything.”

So far, polls indicate Rubio's effort might be working. Trump is generally behind Clinton in Florida polling while Rubio leads in a general-election matchup against Murphy.

Rubio’s campaign said he ran for reelection because he wants to serve Floridians — and took a parting shot at his likely opponent.

“Unlike Patrick Murphy, Marco has been there for Floridians and will continue to fight for them,” Rubio press secretary Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement.