Marco Rubio on Presidential Bid: 'I Can Lead this Country' - East Idaho News
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Marco Rubio on Presidential Bid: ‘I Can Lead this Country’

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041315 StephanopoulosRubio?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1428951516650ABC News(MIAMI) — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is running for president in 2016, the Florida senator told ABC News’ Chief Anchor and This Week host George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview in West Miami Monday.

“I think this country’s at a generational moment where it needs to decide not what party it wants in charge but what kind of country are we going to want to be moving forward,” Rubio told Stephanopoulos in an interview at the Florida senator’s home. “I think the 21st century can be the American century, and I believe that I can lead this country in that direction. I can help lead it there from the Senate. I can lead it there as president.”

When asked whether Rubio believed he was the most qualified candidate to be the president, he said: “I absolutely feel that way.”

The announcement came just a few hours before Rubio will speak to supporters at an evening event at the Freedom Tower, a downtown Miami building with historical significance for thousands of Cuban-Americans.

If he is elected president in 2016, Rubio would be the first ever Cuban-American to win the White House.

Rubio, 43, is the fourth major candidate to declare a run for the presidency this year. His announcement comes one day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her presidential bid.

Two other Republican candidates — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — entered the 2016 race within the last two weeks.

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and lives in Miami with his wife Jeanette and four children.

Watch World News Tonight with David Muir Monday night and Good Morning America Tuesday morning for more from Stephanopoulos’ exclusive interview with Rubio.


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