Marco Rubio won't fight Jim Risch for Foreign Relations gavel

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will defer to a more senior colleague rather than make a bid for the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker’s announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2018 creates a leadership opening on one of the most prestigious and influential committees in Congress. Rubio, following his unsuccessful run for president, is one of the highest-profile members of the panel, but he plans to defer to an Idaho Republican with more seniority on the committee.