There was a time when Republican Senator Marco Rubio was being groomed to be a major leader of the GOP. Just a few years ago, Senator Rubio’s name was mentioned as a potential GOP flag bearer and the most likely to win the Republican ticket to succeed President Barack Obama.
At a recent Hispanic street festival in Florida, however, Senator Rubio did not come across as a Republican leader. In fact, he came across as a political pariah and was eventually booed off the stage by potential Latino voters in Orlando.
Local journalists covering the street fair, which is known as Calle Orange, explained that it was mostly a celebration of Puerto Rican culture, but the entire Latino community from across Central Florida was invited. It is not clear if political campaigning was on the agenda, but Senator Rubio arrived in the midst of his reelection bid against a Democratic opponent, and he was not welcomed.
The booing began as soon as the MC announced that Senator Rubio would take the stage; he tried to play it off by stating that he was not there to talk politics, but his words were drawn out by the loud jeers. He eventually came off the stage and blended into the crowd.
The street fair revelers were clearly upset at Senator Rubio’s surprise endorsement of controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has become persona non grata among the Hispanic American constituency. A retired United States soldier at the street fair explained that Latinos are united against Trump, and thus they consider Senator Rubio a sellout.
The ongoing campaign to reelect Senator Rubio in Florida is already in jeopardy of being lost to a Democrat. This latest display of animosity against the junior Republican Senator is bound to worry GOP leaders who are already in damage control mode due to the Trump candidacy.