Former Bush backers are rallying around Rubio

Add three more names to the list of Marco Rubio supporters in Congress.

Three Republican members of the U.S. House from South Florida — Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — announced their support for Marco Rubio in a press conference today in Miami. The kicker? All three had backed Jeb Bush for president before the former Florida governor ended his campaign Saturday after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary.

The three Cuban-American lawmakers made the announcement both in English and Spanish. Ros-Lehtinen, who had even campaigned for Bush in New Hampshire back in December, said Rubio can "bring new voters, new voices to our Republican Party." Former Florida Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera (who is running for Rubio's Senate seat) were also present at the presser.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Rubio — perceived by many as the only electable alternative to Donald Trump — is poised to gain much newfound support now that Bush is no longer running. Politico reported yesterday that Nevada Sen. Dean Heller — another erstwhile Bush supporter — switched his allegiance to Rubio after the former Florida governor dropped out. Rubio has also recently won the backing of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and, today, Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Expect more of these in the weeks to come.