Earlier this afternoon, it was reported that Carlos Lopez-Cantera said that he had a conversation with Marco Rubio and would step aside if Rubio ran for re-election.
Rubio addressed the report today with the media, explaining that the recent massacre in Orlando caused him to reconsider his decision to become a private citizen.
Watch his statement below:
Senator @MarcoRubio answers a question on whether he’s reconsidering his decision to not run for reelection.https://t.co/qcNzGn3C71
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 15, 2016
Marco Rubio: Can we just do this once? So the rest of the day can be about Orlando? Alright.
Reporter: What are your thoughts on Donald Trump saying US soldiers were stealing?
Rubio: That’s not what I want to talk about.
Reporter: What is your reaction to Donald Trump saying—
Rubio: No, that’s not what I wanna talk about.
Reporter: Are you reconsidering your decision to run for re-election?
Rubio: So, the report earlier today is accurate. Carlos and I had a conversation on Sunday in Orlando before I left. Um, obviously I take very seriously everything that’s going on. Not just Orlando, but in our country. I’ve enjoyed my service here a lot. So I’ll go home later this week. And I’ll have some time with my family and then if there’s been a change in our status, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.
He indicated last year that he would not run for president and Senate re-election at the same time, and has expressed as recently as last month that he would be a private citizen come January.
I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016
Rubio has until June 24th to file for re-election in Florida.
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