Marco Rubio
| Marco Rubio | |
|---|---|
 |
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| United States Senator from Florida |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 Serving with Bill Nelson |
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| Preceded by | George LeMieux |
| Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office January 2, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Allan Bense |
| Succeeded by | Ray Sansom |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th district |
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| In office January 25, 2000 – January 2, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Carlos Valdes |
| Succeeded by | Erik Fresen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marco Antonio Rubio May 28, 1971 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanette Dousdebes (m. 1998) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Tarkio College Santa Fe College University of Florida (B.A.) University of Miami (J.D.) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida, serving since January 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
Rubio is a Cuban American native of Miami. He graduated from the University of Florida and the University of Miami Law School. In the late 1990s, he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006.
Rubio announced a run for U.S. Senate in May 2009 after incumbent Republican Mel Martínez resigned. Initially trailing by double-digits against the incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Rubio eventually surpassed him in polling for the Republican nomination. Rubio won the Republican nomination after Crist opted instead to run with no party affiliation. In a three-way split against Crist and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek, Rubio won the general election in November 2010 with 49 percent of the vote. He is one of three Latinos (all Cuban Americans) in the Senate, along with Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ted Cruz of Texas.[1]
On April 13, 2015, Rubio announced his candidacy for president in 2016 and that he would not seek re-election to his Senate seat.[2][3][4]
