WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Thomas Zimmer — US Senator Marco Rubio will need to show he is different from his competitors, former Florida Republican Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz, in order to improve his chances in the 2016 US presidential race, experts told Sputnik.
“They [Rubio and Bush] have been associated, and Rubio has often been seen as a protégé of Bush’s,” University of Northern Iowa Political Science Professor Donna Hoffman told Sputnik on Monday.
“Rubio will need to position his campaign in that regard to distinguish himself apart from Bush, and while his story is similar to Cruz’s, Rubio can distinguish himself because he’s not as uncompromising as Cruz,” she said.
The expert noted that when up against Bush, Rubio will have the advantage of being younger and could argue against another Bush-Clinton campaign, even though Bush is likely to have the upper hand in the race.
“I would expect Bush to emphasize his experience as being older and an executive and having the kind of gravitas of having that executive experience,” Hoffman said. “He might paint Rubio as inexperienced, and make clear that it is not Rubio’s time for the presidency.”
Hoffman concluded that if Rubio can convince voters he represents the many different constituencies in Florida, he will be able to make the argument for being able to win against former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
On Monday, Rubio announced he would seek the US Republican presidential nomination.
Bush comes with political baggage from serving in Florida and working as a businessman in the private sector that Rubio does not have, Davidson College Political Science Professor Susan Roberts told Sputnik on Monday.
“There’s a sense of moderation in Rubio, and he can get people who wouldn’t normally agree with him to sympathize with his positions politically,” Roberts said. “Bush will be looking back on his career during the campaign, Rubio doesn’t have to look back, and 2016 will be about looking forward, not backwards.”
“Cruz is so combative and argues about immigration constantly,” Roberts said. “The top issues for Hispanics and Latinos are not always immigration, and sometimes they are education or the economy.”
Roberts concludes that while Rubio may be the best among the Republicans candidates, he will be significantly challenged by money and a diverse group of voters, which will not be an issue for Clinton.
“Rubio seems to have Republicans, younger voters, and some of the Hispanic/Latino vote,” Roberts said. “Republicans haven’t made inroads with African American and younger voters, and lots of those will go to Hillary Clinton.”
On Thursday, a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll revealed that Paul leads Clinton in the swing US states.
