LAS VEGAS — Marco Rubio on Tuesday told supporters in southern Nevada that the stakes in the Republican primary are nothing less than what the country will look like under the next president.
“There are two questions on the ballot tonight. Number one is, what kind of party will the Republican Party be in the 21st century,” he said at a rally. “And the more important question is, what kind of country will America be?”
“Make sure you know exactly where to go tonight because it’s that important,” Rubio told the crowd, adding in a little campaign housekeeping about caucus organization before beginning the meat of his stump speech.
The Nevada caucuses begin Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and Rubio’s main rival, Donald Trump, is expected to foll to another victory in the state, which hosts the final contest of the month.
But both Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are planning to hold caucus night victory parties in the Las Vegas area. Rubio was joined by more than 500 people early Tuesday morning at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas for his final Nevada campaign event, and then headed immediately to rallies in Minneapolis and Grand Rapids, Mich.
While Rubio is leaving early, the campaign is quietly bullish on its prospects for finishing a “strong” second over Cruz. It wouldn’t be a win, which Rubio is still searching for after the first three states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, but his campaign views finishing ahead of Cruz as part of the process of winning GOP nominating delegates and setting up a more direct confrontation with Trump in the weeks ahead.
Some voters are still undecided.
Ron Bowser, 68, liked what he heard from Rubio on Tuesday, but is still torn between the Florida senator and Trump. Trump gets things done and knows how to delegate, but Bowser also said he has two sons serving as special operations soldiers in the U.S. military and he liked what he heard from Rubio on national security and taking care of veterans.
“It was very important to hear what he said about our military and our vets,” Bowser said. “He’s genuine; he hit a lot of points that I believe in.”
Martin Holland, 68, from Henderson, is deciding between Rubio and Cruz. Holland likes Cruz because he’s more “Constitution-based” and more of a “rigid” conservative. Holland likes Rubio because he believes he is more electable against the Democrats in a general election.
“Marco has a better sense of humor, he has a better story; I think he’s a better speaker, I think he might have a better chance of winning, that’s the most important thing,” Holland said. His wife, Chris, 67, said she was sold. “I love his passion, I love that he loves his country. I think he’s a wonderful conservative, I just think that he’ll be a wonderful president.”
Rubio spoke for just over 50 minutes Tuesday, without notes or a teleprompter, hitting several topics that have become a standard part of his stump speech in the past months. In Nevada, his remarks have acquired a general election theme. Rubio has contrasted himself with President Obama and Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, while only making subtle references to Cruz and Trump.
Rubio is currently third in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, while Trump is first.
