Here's how Marco Rubio is explaining his shifting positions
Long before Sen. Marco Rubio tried to nimbly explain his support for Donald Trump, the Florida Republican had to justify his decision to abandon an immigration reform bill he helped write.
And before declared his intent to run for re-election this summer after adamantly saying he would return to private life, he had to clarify his position on abortion during his presidential run.
Rubio’s opponents say his seemingly shifting positions on key issues, his about-face on seeking re-election and his support for Trump — someone he previously called a “con artist” — smack of opportunism.
“It is the height of cynicism,” President Obama said about Rubio’s support of the GOP presidential nominee during a campaign rally last week in Miami Gardens. “That's the sign of somebody who will say anything, do anything, pretend to be anybody, just to get elected.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio breaks silence, sticks by Donald Trump
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Rubio has another explanation: pragmatism.
His pivot on issues like immigration reform — where he adopted the House stance of "border security first" after the broader Senate plan fizzled — reflect a desire to get something done based on political realities, not an abandonment of principle.
Once border security is addressed, Rubio says he hopes the issue of a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants can be addressed.
His decision to run for re-election despite open frustration with the job came after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and Rubio’s realization that he wanted to serve “as a check and balance on the excesses of a president” no matter who won the White House.
And his support of Trump while still keeping his distance is simply a recognition that he’s a better choice than Democrat Hillary Clinton despite his many flaws.
“This election is a disturbing choice between someone that I disagree with on many things and someone who I disagree with on virtually everything,” he said during his debate last week at Central Florida University with Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy.
Rubio’s support of Trump is likely to get a re-airing Wednesday night when he and Murphy meet for a second debate Wednesday night at Broward College in Davie.
Most polls show Rubio with a slight lead over Murphy in a race that will help determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate. Republicans hold 54 seats in the 100-seat Senate; if Democrats can take over four GOP seats, control of the chamber reverts to the vice president's deciding vote. Winning five GOP seats would hand the majority to the Democrats outright.
Rubio’s tricky navigation of immigration and Trump are a reflection of the new Republican reality, said Matthew T. Corrigan, who chairs the political science and public administration department at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
“I don’t think Republicans in many instances know who they are,” he said. “You had this Tea Party movement. Now you have this Trump movement. And trying to stay with traditional Republicans but also trying to reach this populist fervor, it’s really hard to do. And I think that explains a lot of what Rubio’s been doing.”
But it doesn't always work. Republican Raul Garabito, 71, said he can't vote for Rubio in part because of the senator's support for Trump.
"You have to be sincere with yourself," said the retired auto mechanic from the Westchester section of Miami-Dade county. "That's what you have to project to the public."
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Rubio, a strong anti-abortion lawmaker has also shown flexibility in his position on this issue as it relates to exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. He’s voted for bills that have the exception and for some that don’t.
Asked to explain that inconsistency after it came up during one of the GOP presidential primary debates last year, Rubio told NBC’s Meet The Press that he “personally and deeply” believes all human life is worth protecting.
"That being said, I recognize that in order to have consensus on laws that limit the number of abortions, a lot of people want to see those exceptions,” he said. “And that's why I've supported those laws in the past, as has every pro-life group in America.”
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Al Cardenas, a former chairman of the state Republican Party who has known Rubio since he was a teenager, doesn’t agree with Rubio on his support for Trump or his retreat on immigration reform.
But he still remains a big fan.
“You can’t agree 100% with everybody all the time,” Cardenas said. “I would say with Marco I certainly agree most of the time. I don’t think he’s a pragmatist in terms of his voting record. I think on immigration reform he just decided that wasn’t going to fly and why take the flak. But he votes pretty much on principle.”