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Subscribe to RSSDES MOINES, Iowa -- Add another top Republican to the growing category of supporters who want Sen. Marco Rubio as vice president: Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.
"Well, Marco Rubio sounds pretty good to me," Gov. Branstad told NBC News following a Mitt RomneyVictory event on the steps of the state house here when asked who he would suggest to Romney to be VP. "There are a number of others that I think are very talented, but Marco Rubio, I think, tells it very much like it is, he is somebody who has come up the hard way and has showed great leadership and he is now one of the great young senators from the state of Florida -- an important and key state -- so he is certainly one I would like to see considered."
Rubio, the freshman senator from the Sunshine State, was scheduled to address the crowd in the Hawkeye State Saturday night but was forced to cancel after his plane taking him from Nevada to Iowa made an emergency landing for mechanical issues.
"This is not the way I had hoped to do it," Rubio told the rain-soaked crowd via cellphone over a loud speaker. "I have had 2 planes today have mechanical problems and the last one forced us to land here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so I know how to take a hint."
As speculation continues to swirl as to who the presumptive GOP nominee will choose to be his No. 2 -- especially after the whirlwind tour of top surrogates around the country this weekend -- Rubio's name has been mentioned more and more.
Rubio's plane makes safe emergency landing
In recent days, many top GOP leaders including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Republican strategist Karl Rovehave publicly thrown their support behind Rubio. And Saturday night, Branstad made the case for the Florida senator as well.
"I have always been a risk taker -- I have never been afraid to do what I think is the right thing to do and I just think that Gov. Romney needs to choose the candidate who he thinks will be the greatest asset to the ticket," the fifth term Iowa governor said. "Somebody who will complement and support him and help us rebuild the American dream and I think Marco Rubio is certainly one of the people that should be considered, but there are many other talented people out there too."
While Saturday's event didn't occur as planned (and originally, Rubio was going to attend an event in Colorado this evening until that was canceled due to the Aurora tragedy last week), Rubio did give brief remarks to the crowd in the battleground state, and said, "I promise you, I will come back."
And, not all Iowans in attendance were disappointed.
"I think it's a testament to the enthusiasm that the Republicans have this year that so many people turned out even in the rain," John Lepley of Des Moines said after the event concluded. "It showed that people are enthusiastic and fired up. Sen. Rubio gave a great speech which we were able to hear on the telephone line. It worked out fine."
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Brain dead Romney(where is your transcript from Harvard Willard???) with wife cadillac Annie & male Sarah Palin Marco Rubio with his cheerleader wife. That should be good for laughs.
White Floridian
marj
Why the adjective 'White' in from of Floridian? Are you a BIGOT?
slodon, glasses please, the word "white" not in Marj posting
Obama 2012
What's your education level Marj, 3rd grade? Such an insightful, intelligent comment.
It would take somebody from Iowa to endorse Marco Rubio. In Florida, he's known as one of the crookedest politicians around, involved in every Republican money-grubbing political scandal of the past 10 years. He isn't even a refugee from communism, as he used to claim. His parents were economic refugees who left Cuba 2 years before Castro came in. He's just like all of those Mexicans who Republicans hate so much. The fact that he's a "Tea Party favorite" just shows how dumb the old people in Florida actually are. This is why we have a governor who holds the record for Medicare fraud.
In business, Mitt Romney's firms shipped jobs to Mexico, and China. (SEC 3/26/1993, 3/29/2002, Los Angeles Times 6/2/2000)
As Governor, Romney outsourced jobs to India. (The Boston Globe 5/1/12)
He had millions in a Swiss bank account (abc News 1/26/2012) in tax havens in Bermuda (Vanity Fair, August 2012) and in the Cayman Islands (abc News 1/18/2012).
Republicans are a cancer on our society. Their hate for everything not 100% in line with their ideological insanity is greater than their love for this country. They are like a small child who would rather destroy his own toys than to share it with other kids. How do these narcissists even fall asleep at night?
Without voter suppression and other foul tricks, Mitt Romney doesn't have a chance in hell to win this election. Look out for the clever tactics applied bigger and better than the time they swindled Dubya into office. America has been sold to the highest bidders.
vinyl, cancer on society... is Obamacare. Voter suppression, oh you mean dead people and illegal aliens? You know in some states they are so close that just a few hundred votes means the difference between losing and winning. I believe the dems will do anything to get reelected. Including lying cheating and stealing. Hows that for a comeback response to your cancer speak? The definition of insanity ... is Obama.
At the end Republicans will be sorry again, Rubio is the equivalent male Sara Palin. Senator Mcain was a better candidate than Romney, he made a mistake choosing Sara Palin, Romney will fail because he is not a good candidate, proving it every time he opens his mouth. Rubio is popular among Cubans but not among latinos from Mexico, Central and South America, he may get a few votes, but Obama will get at least seventy per cent of all Latino vote.
Robme/Rubme, sounds like a winning combiation to me.
Rubio, untrustworthy, Blunt-Rubio amendment, investigation by Fl. GOP for credit card irregularities, lied about family's immigrant status, lock-step trooper. Arrogance in abundance, believes because he is of Cuban descent all Hispanic will embrace him, wrong. Hope mitters picks him, press will have a field day.
Obama 2012
Romneys tax returns are about all the Dems have as Fridays horrid GNP of 1.5% will continue to work against obamas reelection .The economy is sinking fast at the wrong time for obama and the UE % is sure to uptick in the last 2 quarters as well right now its at 8.2% (about 15%) in real numbers It will probably hit 8.3 or 8.4 by election day To finish obama off .Right now among Likely voters at Rasmussen ( the most reliable per Bill Clinton) Romney already leads 48% to 44% as a running average and obama cant seem to get above 50% in the swing states so obamas campaign is predictably in PANIC mode.
Those NBC polls are polling 11% more Dems than GOP and gives obama a 6% lead LOL You do the math Real Clear politics has about a 5% point history of margin of error and obama is about 2% There .
Carter led in 1980 46% to Reagan 42% and we all know how that worked out obamas polling worse than Carter did. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT ONE
Rubio.....he might as well pick Palin. They are about equal.
What? Comparing caribou barbie to a real life American hero who's parents barely escaped Castro?
Did Rubio ever correct the big fat lie about his family escaping the scourge of Castro? He looks like an illegal alien to me ...I can't find his birth certificate anywhere...Donald?
LOL, Branstad isn't an idiot - he just doesn't want the pick to be him. Like Chris Christie he knows the Romney ticket is a loser.
Marco Rubio isn't even eligible to become President if something happens to Romney... Rubio's parents were not citizens when he was born, and the fact that he was born in Miami being does not make him a natural-born citizen!