[mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] and [mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ] are friends of mine. I have no interest in supporting one over the other. I’d be thrilled with either one as President. I intend to do two posts. One on the merits of Rubio. One on the merits of Cruz.

I see friends tearing each other up over both men. Let me give you my assessments of the positives of both while ignoring the negatives of both.

I think you should vote for [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] because while Hillary Clinton has signaled her strategy will be to rally her base, Rubio has a natural ability to expand the Republican base and draw in new voters.

[mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] is the happy warrior, the optimist, the man who believes in the American dream and you know he means it. He is such a solid family man, the opposition has been peddling smears of his character to no avail.

Rubio has shown in Washington that he is intrinsically conservative, but willing to work with others. He has a 93% rating on the gold standard for conservative measures, the Heritage Action for America scorecard.

[mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] is entirely relatable and likable. Millennials who have come of age during Barack Obama’s administration are more and more conservative. They relate to a guy like Rubio who would rather talk sports and music than politics and policy. But Rubio has a depth of knowledge on politics and policy that goes beyond pop culture references.

Demographics is not destiny in the United States, but much of the media claims it is. Electing [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] throws that media narrative for a loop. A Spanish speaking, youthful presence who defends free markets as the way to make the American dream, Rubio would not need interpretive help to carry his message to potential new Republican voters. His youthful demeanor makes him approachable to classes of people the GOP will need to not just beat Hillary, but also grow their party long term.

In Washington, Rubio has shown two essential characteristics of a savvy politician. First, he was willing to work with Democrats on broad bipartisan policy, namely immigration. Second, when the deal went south, Rubio was willing to walk away from it and admit he learned a lesson from it. There are few politicians willing to admit mistakes and move on.

It also helps that Rubio is from a highly competitive state — Florida. But Rubio also has ties to another highly competitive state — Nevada. Both are regularly at play between the parties in Presidential election years and Rubio’s ties to both states provide a solid window of opportunity to lock those states down.

Critics of Rubio worry about his personal financial issues tied to student loan debt. I say that makes Rubio even more relatable to the very middle class Republicans need to win next year. Rubio has lived their struggles and, compared to Hillary Clinton, can relate about those struggles.

Democrats fear [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] because they recognize he can use Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign against Hillary. In that year, Clinton provided a youthful counterpoint to George H. W. Bush in a campaign centered on thinking about tomorrow and the bridge to the twenty-first century. Positioning Rubio against Hillary Clinton shows a youthful optimist versus a profiteer off a system Americans view as increasingly corrupt. The contrast would be stunning.

At a time of deep divisions within the country, [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] provides an optimistic face and message to contrast Hillary Clinton’s politics as usual approach.

That’s why you should vote for [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ].