Marco Rubio is throwing his weight behind Cory Gardner.
A new Reclaim America PAC video — a political action committee formed by the Florida Republican senator — is up in support of Gardner, a Colorado congressman who’s challenging Democratic Sen. Mark Udall in November’s midterm elections.
“America is in trouble,” the 30-second spot starts: “Reckless spending, trillions in debt, a president we’ve lost faith in.”
Cory Gardner will “fight for Colorado, not Washington,” the ad says, proclaiming that he’ll do what’s right for the country, including fixing “the Obamacare mess.”
Gardner is ahead of his Democratic opponent, incumbent Mark Udall, by 4 points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls — a number that has fluctuated as Election Day nears.
Rubio, who has been spending considerable time with GOP candidates this election season, emailed his supporters Tuesday. “I’m not up for re-election this year,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m sitting at home watching TV.”
“There is just too much at stake. With only 14 days to go, we must do everything we can to reclaim America from President Obama and Harry Reid’s liberal agenda,” Rubio said — specifically pointing to Republican Senate candidates Scott Brown in New Hampshire, Tom Cotton in Arkansas, Joni Ernst in Iowa and Garner in Colorado.
The Gardner ad, which is still captioned as “unlisted” on YouTube, was released in unison with two pro-Joni Ernst ads titled “Proud” and “Exceptional.” Ernst, the incumbent, is up by 2.5 points against her Democratic challenger Bruce Braley, according to RealClearPolitics.
The races Rubio’s PAC picked to provide extra support with just 11 days until the midterm elections are no coincidence — the Colorado and Iowa races are considered crucial to whether the Republicans take control of the Senate. Throwing support behind the high profile races could also be a move to increase Rubio’s visibility within the GOP ahead of a potential 2016 presidential bid.
