Some may not realize, but the Republican presidential nomination still isn’t a runaway. No matter what endorsements Donald Trump receives, he still doesn’t have the voter base to launch him into the general election.
Ted Cruz may have evangelicals and the Tea Party locked up, but establishment Republicans are still looking for their candidate — and Marco Rubio could be it.
We’re watching history unfold in front of our eyes. Marco Rubio is the GOP’s version of JFK, but we haven’t all realized it yet.
Voter in Iowa re: Rubio "I've been waiting for over 50 years for the Republican JFK to show up, and he's here now" https://t.co/6Edi9CVC9d
— I'm With Rubio (@ImWithRubio) January 8, 2016
Rubio is young, confident, charismatic and well-spoken at debates. Despite what the polls say — because polls mean nothing in primary elections — Rubio should be the one that sneaks out of all this Trump and Cruz nonsense come the Republican National Convention on July 18.
Just as JFK proved his worth in the debate against Nixon, Rubio has shown in previous debates that he is the youngest, freshest face to send to the White House in order to fix the broken political machine.
Rubio quotes JFK, noting a Dem once said, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) January 6, 2016
Rubio may not match JFK in policies, but he could do what Barack Obama pulled off in 2008, and dominantly again in 2012: wrap up the Hispanic vote in states like Arizona, New Mexico and California. But the only way he can do that is if he comes up with a more moderate plan for immigration.
While he is beating Cruz on immigration by calling him out several times during the last few debates, the Hispanic vote tends to lean blue anyway, as shown by previous elections. In order for Rubio to reel in that demographic in the general election, he needs to introduce a plan that does not involve immediate deportation, but instead integrating the population of undocumented workers and families into the U.S.
Why Cruz, Rubio can't lock in Latino vote https://t.co/sV03E6t7Cp pic.twitter.com/eZ2Z0xbd4P https://t.co/plNCmeFyEs
— Hispanic TV (@Hispanic_TV) January 17, 2016
But Rubio will have to yell a little louder if he is to be heard by the voters who will really matter in this election: the youth. They’ve been drawn to the loudest mouths on either side, Trump and Bernie Sanders, so he needs to be bigger, better, faster and stronger than they are.
With the primaries drawing closer, I believe either Trump or Cruz will squeak out a victory in Iowa and Chris Christie or Cruz in New Hampshire. Then, Rubio will take South Carolina and Nevada, ending the reign of Trump and finally telling him he’s fired.
Reach the columnist at abundy@asu.edu or follow @abkbundy on Twitter.
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Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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