click to enlarge Sen. Pat Toomey, left, and Sen. Marco Rubio, right
The Iowa caucuses are done and the first votes are in for the presidential primaries. That means it's time for more official endorsements of presidential candidates from other political candidates who are
also seeking elections and endorsements. Let the political back-scratching begin!
Here in Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey announced on Tuesday that he is endorsing Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president. (U.S. Senate candidate and Braddock mayor John Fetterman beat Toomey to the punch by announcing his
own endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders back in January.)
“America is facing a terrorism crisis overseas, and a crisis of confidence here at home," said Toomey in a press release. "Marco Rubio is the best prepared and smartest candidate on national security issues, and he has exceptional skills that will unite our country and re-energize the American Dream. I am proud to support him for president.”
Toomey and Rubio both currently serve in the U.S. Senate, but do not sit on any committees or subcommittees together. Each has also garnered support from the Tea Party. Both have refused to join the Tea Party Caucus, which formed in 2011, and is a group of conservative members of the Republican party pursuing common legislative goals.
Rubio finished third in the Republican Iowa caucuses, ahead of what his polling numbers predicted. Political experts say this gives him a boost in competing for the Republican presidential nomination against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses, and real-estate mogul Donald Trump, who finished in second.