National

Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run

In this Dec. 17, 2014 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the son of Cuban immigrants, expresses his disappointment in President Barack Obama's initiative to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. Long criticized as the party of old white men, Republicans are seeing a diverse group of people step up for possible contention in the 2016 presidential race. This class of contenders could include Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who are both Hispanic, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in the U.S., Carly Fiorina, a female business leader and Ben Carson, an African-American neurosurgeon.
In this Dec. 17, 2014 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the son of Cuban immigrants, expresses his disappointment in President Barack Obama's initiative to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. Long criticized as the party of old white men, Republicans are seeing a diverse group of people step up for possible contention in the 2016 presidential race. This class of contenders could include Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who are both Hispanic, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in the U.S., Carly Fiorina, a female business leader and Ben Carson, an African-American neurosurgeon. J. Scott Applewhite AP
WASHINGTON

Sen. Marco Rubio says he’s moving closer to a decision on whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination, but he’s not there yet.

Rubio tells National Public Radio “this is not a gut decision.”

He also says in an interview broadcast Thursday that he doesn’t have a “date in mind or a time frame in mind” for making his decision, “but certainly soon.”

Rubio, a Florida conservative, says he has “tremendous respect” for former Gov. Jeb Bush, who already has announced formation of an exploratory committee. He says that if Bush gets into the race, “he'll be a very credible candidate.”

He says the two know a lot of the same people, but adds that “it’s not unprecedented” for two people from the same state to run for president.

This story was originally published January 1, 2015 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run."

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