Florida Sen. Marco Rubio unveiled a new campaign promise on the stump in Iowa on Friday: Not making his supporters “cringe.”
In a line seemingly directed at rivals and GOP front-runners Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the Florida Republican closed a town hall here with his usual pledges to undo President Barack Obama’s executive actions on his first day in office — and to stay true to his promise.
“I will never embarrass you,” Rubio said. “I will never do anything that makes you cringe and say … ‘I can’t believe that’s who we picked.'”
Rubio is criss-crossing the Hawkeye State in the last few days before Iowans vote in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, buoyed by strong poll numbers that show him as the only viable candidate besides Trump and Cruz.
Earlier in the day, Rubio told reporters that he feels good about his Iowa operation and didn’t insist he needed to win to succeed.
“I don’t think anyone winning Iowa makes them unstoppable,” Rubio said in response to a comment from Cruz predicting Trump would run away with the nomination if he wins here. “I think this is going to be — it’s an unusual political cycle, we have a lot of credible candidates, and I think it’s probably going to go on for a number of states beyond what it normally has.”
It wasn’t the only shot Rubio took at Cruz and Trump as he appealed to Republicans looking for a moderate alternative to the two firebrands.
“Anger alone will not solve our problems,” Rubio said, turning it into a pitch to caucus for him.
“Anger will motivate us. Frustration should cause you to go to the caucus on Monday,” Rubio said. “Anger alone will not be enough, and that’s why you must make the right choice.”