The situation for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential bid couldn’t be more desperate.
Even with the full power of the GOP establishment backing him, he hasn’t been able to break out of third place. Another string of poor showings Tuesday night all but confirmed the inevitable for the candidate once labeled “The Republican Party’s Savior” by TIME magazine.
Shortly before going uncharacteristically silent Tuesday night, the Rubio communications machine sent out one last email to supporters with the subject line: “Every dollar goes to Florida.” The message is clear: If he can’t win his home state, he’s finished.
“If Trump wins Florida—which some of my rivals might right now be helping him to do—he gets much, much closer to locking up the nomination,” the fundraising email states, taking a thinly veiled swipe at U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “On the flip side, when I win Florida, my campaign is a big step closer to taking on Hillary Clinton and winning. That’s the stakes we have before us.”
Even with a Florida win, the pathway to the GOP nomination is complicated, at best, for Rubio. He’s 200 delegates behind Cruz, and 300 behind front-runner Donald Trump. At present, Rubio needs to win more than three-fourths of the remaining delegates to secure the nomination.
