Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) may try bucking the GOP establishment, but he’s all but toast for his party’s 2016 presidential nomination.
NBC News reports that “influential figures in both the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party have abandoned” him, and key fundraisers are defecting to Jeb Bush “because of his embrace of immigration reform,” a hot-button issue for much of the GOP base.
Also, many Republican bigwigs consider Rubio too young and inexperienced. Bush, 62, is a former governor; Rubio, 43, lacks executive experience. Rubio remains popular with the GOP elite, but they’re encouraging him to run for re-election to the Senate instead of jumping into the presidential race.
Photo: The GOP’s kingmakers think Marco Rubio isn’t ready for the White House. (NBC News)