Marco Rubio is among the dozens of Republican presidential hopefuls. Image: via Facebook.
Following in the footsteps of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio has announced his intent to enter the 2016 presidential race. From his home state in Florida, Rubio is shaping up to be a Republican hopeful.
The last month has proved to be especially telling for the young politician. Recently, Rubio has met with some of the most powerful GOP backers, especially those in the world of finance and from Wall Street. Such figureheads include Stephen Schwarzman, Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Group, and Henry R Kravis, CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Looking into the financial industry is a great move, with Rubio looking to receive monetary backings from such notable hedge fund managers such as billionaire Paul Singer.
Said one familiar with the meetings, “It was a first date. And he’s doing a lot of them.”
Campaign funding for Rubio has proven quite successful, with some of the senator’s biggest contributors coming from Elliott Management, Goldman, Sun Capital, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America. At current moment, Rubio is the only Floridian-Latino in the Republican primary. While coming from Florida, a key state in previous presidential politics, there is the very strong possibility of being overshadowed by the other ‘big name’ in the race: fellow Floridian Jeb Bush.
What is unique about Marco Rubio that other GOP candidates seem to be lacking is a consideration towards Wall Street, having acted anything but hostile towards those in the industry. It’s interesting to compare him to someone like Cruz, who is very much loved by sections of the Tea Party, but often loathed by many of his fellow senators and much of the Republican Party.
Said the individual familiar with the meetings, “Rubio has a very strong sense of himself and positioned himself very early on immigration reform, which Republicans desperately need.”
Other presidential hopefuls include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D), Vice President Joe Biden (D), businesswoman Carly Fiorina (R), and US Senator Rand Paul (R), among many others.
Featured Image: via Facebook.
