Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., rejected the notion that he is now the “establishment candidate,” telling Fox on Tuesday morning that he was simply a conservative candidate.
“I always reject these labels. I am as conservative a candidate in this race,” he said, adding, “We [Republicans] must nominate someone who is principled and conservative as I am, but who can also win.
“I give our party the best chance to beat Hillary Clinton,” he said.
Rubio came in third in the Iowa caucuses Monday evening with 23 percent of the vote, behind the Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Rubio’s showing nevertheless leaves him in a good position to continue his campaign as he is likely to be seen as a viable alternative for GOP voters who are either turned off by Cruz and Trump or who fear they cannot win in a general election.
The danger for Rubio in the primary is that he becomes identified with the “establishment,” the term generally given to the Republican Party leaders and the main GOP donors. That group, many of whom initially backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, are held in low repute by grassroots GOP voters. Bush’s poor sixth place showing in the caucuses, where he received just 3 percent of the vote, means many of his backers are likely looking for a stronger candidate to back and thus may gravitate toward Rubio.
Rubio needs the resources Bush’s backers could bring in order to keep his campaign going. His comments Tuesday indicate that he will try to keep them at arm’s length without explicitly rejecting them and try to turn the race into a question of electability.
