Marco Rubio was the first presidential candidate to address the Sunshine Summit in Orlando and may have suffered from a crowd not yet warmed up, or one familiar with his stump speech.
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At the time of the vote, former Gov. Jeb Bush – a favorite son among many mainline Florida Republicans – had a commanding lead in polls and was expected to overwhelmingly win his home state’s primary.
It’s no longer a safe assumption that one of Florida’s two most popular Republicans will carry the presidential primary in their home state, as most of the GOP candidates turned their attention Friday to the state’s winner-take-all primary. “The single biggest difference between me and the other very, very fine men and women standing at the debate stage, is in that – with me – when I tell you I’m going to do something, I’m going to do absolutely what I asserted I would do”, Cruz stated.
Bush took a few swipes at both President Obama and former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, painting himself as a Washington outsider. “It’s a question of I can’t miss this”, Republican Political Consultant Dennis Pearlman said.
Cruz received a more enthusiastic reception than Sen.
“Even though there might be a time where a spat will happen here or there, eventually we are going to come together and do what we’re supposed to do”, said Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola Beach.
Cruz noted the similarities between Texas and Florida, noting they’re Southern states where many immigrants live and they’re low-tax states where the economy is growing.
The Republican Party of Florida is hosting the event.
“We also share a similar dislike for snow”.
He also tells a life story similar to Rubio’s. Ted Cruz’ attacks on him about immigration because the Texas senator’s position “is not much different from mine”.
Reporters hoping to ask him about those comments were disappointed though when after waiting for about 10 minutes for him to appear for a press availability, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Florida said that he would not be appearing before reporters.
Rubio says he’s “puzzled” and “surprised” by Sen. All the major GOP presidential hopefuls are scheduled.
Rubio and Cruz have been duking it out over “conservative cred”.
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Rubio now says that a single, comprehensive immigration bill is not the way to go.
