Marco Rubio's campaign denies report he's being pressured to drop out before Florida


Marco Rubio's communications director is calling a CNN report that advisers are quietly pushing the Republican presidential candidate to exit the race before his home state's primary "100 percent false."
"That is fiction," Alex Conant told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday afternoon, adding that he just attended a meeting where the campaign planned out next week's schedule. Earlier, CNN reported that, according to unidentified sources, some advisers are worried that Rubio won't win the Florida primary on March 15, and that could ruin his chances of ever running for governor or being selected as vice president. "He doesn't want to get killed in his home state," one source told CNN. "A poor showing would be a risk and hurt his political future."
Those who want him to stay in the race say Rubio has proven before he can win in Florida, and can come from behind, CNN said. A Monmouth poll released Monday shows Donald Trump leading Rubio in Florida, 38 percent to 30 percent; two weeks ago, a Quinnipiac poll had Trump with 44 percent compared to Rubio's 28 percent. Rubio received some good news over the weekend, when he won the Republican primary in Puerto Rico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling