Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., issued a near-endorsement of his Senate colleague Marco Rubio for president Friday.
Inhofe told the Tulsa World that he is not yet prepared to formally endorse, but that Rubio is “one that I really do like.”
“The reason I say that is he’s so knowledgeable. I’d love to see him in a debate with Hillary just for my own personal entertainment,” Inhofe said.
Inhofe’s embrace of Rubio, a Florida Republican, is a pointed rebuke of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and to a lesser extend, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Cruz and Paul are also Senate Republicans running for president. Cruz, who has campaigned hard in Oklahoma, is unpopular with his GOP colleagues.
Inhofe also spoke positively about Ohio Gov. John Kasich who served with Inhofe in the House.
“I was in a Bible study with him for eight years and know him intimately,” Inhofe said. “For some reason, there’s something about him that just hasn’t sold.
“If you look at all the governors and former governors in the field, he’s done far more than any of the others. And besides, he’s from Ohio,” Inhofe added.
But Inhofe’s backing of Rubio appears to be a sign of Washington Republicans starting to line up behind Rubio as the mainstream Republican they hope can defeat Cruz and Donald Trump in the GOP nomination fight.
Rubio is often described as an establishment favorite, despite his election in the Tea Party wave of 2010, a conservative voting record and advocacy for increased U.S. military intervention aboard.
Rubio has been criticized by rivals for poor attendance in the Senate, an institution he has trashed. That has not stopped him from gaining the support of some of his congressional colleagues. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who endorsed Rubio in November.
Former Republican front-runner Jeb Bush retains the most formal endorsements by many measures. But with Bush struggling in polls, Rubio has won more elected backers lately.
An endorsement by Inhofe could help Rubio bolster his conservative credentials.
Inhofe has long been the upper chamber’s chief climate science skeptic, winning fans on the right with steps like calling global warming a hoax and throwing a snowball on the Senate floor last winter to show that it was cold outside.
