The Miami Herald has endorsed Marco Rubio for president, which comes during a tough time for his campaign.
“As the pivotal Florida primary on March 15 draws near, Floridians should not be stampeded into thinking that it’s all over,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote Wednesday night, roughly 24 hours after the Florida senator won just one state on Super Tuesday.
“In the Republican race, in particular, they have an opportunity to change the course of a deeply discouraging — even embarrassing — campaign narrative by boosting the chances of native son Marco Rubio, the best remaining candidate with a mostly positive message and a practical chance to win the nomination,” the endorsement reads.
The endorsement comes after Rubio won only the Minnesota caucuses on Tuesday and failed to make the 20 percent threshold for winning delegates in several other states.
Voters in Rubio’s must-win home state of Florida head to the ballots March 15.
“We disagree with the Cuban-American senator on many issues — abortion, gun control, Obamacare, climate change, diplomacy with Cuba, and have frowned upon his frequent absences in the Senate,” the board wrote. “Still, he does not occupy the same extremist terrain proudly claimed by Sen. Ted Cruz.”
The Herald, the largest newspaper in South Florida, also called Rubio “the best choice to unite a fractured GOP.”
“His Senate colleagues, especially Republicans, respect him — not so with Mr. Cruz,” the editorial added. “Among Republican voters who have made up their minds at the last minute, Sen. Rubio is by far the favorite, suggesting that he is the candidate of choice for the most thoughtful.”
Though the editorial board admits that Florida is do-or-die for Rubio, it argues that winning the state could swing the momentum to his favor.
“Without a victory, he’s out,” the endorsement says. “His sole triumph in the Minnesota caucuses is a thin reed upon which to hang the rest of the campaign, but a first-place finish in Florida could put the wind to his back.”
According to a RealClearPolitics average of Sunshine State polls, Donald Trump leads Rubio by nearly 20 percentage points.
