Rubio not running for Miami-Dade mayor

Marco Rubio will not run for Miami-Dade mayor, putting an end to one of the most watched political guessing games in the state. Instead, he plans on spending the election season on TV, as a analyst and pundit on Spanish language TV.

"I obviously care very deeply about Miami-Dade," the outgoing House Speaker told the Buzz. "But I didn't feel it was the right opportunity for me in this state. The issues I have a passion for are state issues."

Rubio said he felt he could pose a strong challenge to incumbent Carlos Alvarez, strong mayor for the past two years, but said Alvarez hasn't had enough time to fully prove himself. "It really wasn't about being able to win or not," Rubio said.

The 36-year-old Miami Republican said he wants to spend more time with his family and get back into the daily routine of law practice. He also will travel the state to aid GOP candidates, including John McCain.

"I think I'll be on the ballot again in Florida," Rubio said, "probably sooner than later." Rubio would not discuss his future but he is expected to seek the state Senate seat being vacated by Alex Diaz de la Portilla in 2010. Many think he'll eventually run for governor.

Times photo | Scott Keeler

Comments

He'll be lucky to stay out of jail until 2010.

[Annie Oakley]

In a Rubio v Robaina race, who comes out ahead? Robaina will still be in office and have lots of press opportunities over the next couple of years. Rubio has House Speaker to add to his resume...Tough call.

"Rubio not running for Miami-Dade mayor"

Whewwwww, no I can sleep tonight.

Spanish language analyst. That is just grand, another Cuban with the right to vote in America. Now it is crystal clear to all that Rubio is part of the illegal immigration problem in Florida because he supports balkanization. No wonder he squelched legislation that dealt with illegal immigration.

[james]

he wants to be governor so waiting to see if crist gets vp nod

If McCain selects Crist as VP, McCain is finished. You can't have a light weight panty waist a heartbeat away from the oval office, especially when you would be the oldest elected POTUS ever

It wasn't about "winning"...that's because he would get his clock cleaned in a County-wide race. And he has never been on the ballot statewide as he suggest (the use of the phrase "in Florida" is no accident). He won a special election in his tiny corner of Dade County once..by 56 votes...and has not been in a race since. Whether Crist gets the VP nod or not...he has no future in statewide politics until he matures and stops surrounding himself with people with shady ethical behavior.

Robaina is a joke. Rubio would crush him

3:52...who do you think has better name id? Who do you think has won a real race in the last 4 years and has ground troops to support him?

It's a shame he's not running. It would have been to see him get demolished. My cat has higher name ID.

[voxy]

FAREWELL TO THE WORST WORST WORST SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN FLORIDA'S SORDID HISTORY.
And, that's sure saying some.

Analyze THIS, Rubio.
Sickening run you made.
GO home and stay there.
And be quiet.
Unlike JEBBY666.

[Annie Oakley]

3:58: um...Robaina? He did crush Lopez-Cantera a few years back. And he can't resist a microphone or tv camera.

Do all Floridians a favor and move back to Cuba, Marco.

The most important thing to note is that Marco is no longer Speaker.

Good times.

What will Nelson Diaz, Esther Nuhfer, Alina Garcia, and the rest of the squad do next year?

Gonna be tough folks...

Thanks 4:36 -

I love it when liberals expose themselves as the racists they are.

Who is running for the state Senate seats in 2010?

I guess you got

36: Robaina vs.
38: Llorente vs.
40: Garcia vs.

the wild cards are obviously where Rubio, Rivera, Lopez-Cantera, and Flores decide to place themselves. Then there is younger DLP.

Anyone know what will happen?

[Annie Oakley]

I doubt Lopez-Canter would run against Robaina or Rubio. I don't know about Flores. I think Llorente has a lock on 38- unless Planas decides to get in the race but that is very doubtful. SD 40 should be interesting with Garcia being low profile AND out of office for 2 years. In any event, there should be a sufficient amount of backstabbing and bloodletting in Miami-Dade between now and November 2010.

4:42 - Sorry to disappoint ya, but I'm a card-carrying Republican. Nice try though...

[Disgusted Republican]

RUBIO for Governor!

rubio would win in any of the three senate districts and has almost double the positive name rec of any state legislator in miami

Anyone who thinks Robaina or CLC or anyone would beat marco doesnt live in Miami.

Like him or not he is adored by cuban republicans.

3:58, Robaina won ana elction in 2002 (that would be six years ago) only because Bell South bailed him out. He lost election day. He won because of ab's. He has no ground force.

Rubio has my vote for Governor.

First lets get us our 25% off on property taxes first by passing Amendment 5 in November.

Yes on Amendment 5!

5 for 25

The legacy has thus virtually disappeared.

Going, going, gone!

[Donald Lance]

Don't worry Florida. He'll run for state office again when his friends and family need jobs!

I wish he had run for mayor -- that way he only would have wrecked a portion of the state.

Marco for LG in'10!

Well, at the rate the Republican Party is going, Crist will be the last Republican Governor for a while. Rubio hasn't a chance, because he hasn't got a clue - he padded his payroll as speaker with his "friends", he supported fake "fixes" for property taxes, property insurance, and PIP. He supported laying off child abuse investigators, foster care workers, nursing home inspectors while he supported giving CSX $700 million dollars.

He didn't support making health insurance available for the working poor all the while he received FREE HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE (family plan) during his entire time as a part-time state employee.

While he refused to even address meaningful tax reform resulting in Floria remaining in the bottom of the educational rankings, you can bet HIS kids will go to private schools.

Yep, that's our Marco and the RPOF - concerned only for themselves and willing to sacrifice the party's base to reach their goals.

Big surprise in store this November.

Marco is a pandering politician, and nothing more. His life's goal is power, not having a positive impact on this state. Combine that with the fact that he isn't exactly the brightest Cuban in the boat, and you get exactly what he gave us for two years as Speaker... absolutely nothing.

Serving up the Kool-Aid in Spanish. Wake up Cuban-Americans, the GOP are all closet racists and couldn't care less about you.

5:51 I AGREE!!!!!!!!!

Actually, the dims are quite racist. They support policies and laws that catagorize people by their race. The write-off states for being "too white." They have rallied around Obama because he's not too black. They ignore the fact that for over 20 years he has attended and been active in a church that if you replace the words "African" with "white" teaches a theology of hate no different from the churches of skin-heads.

Look at Obama's record in the Illinois is repleat with "present" votes just like his record in the U.S. Senate - if there is a "hot button" issue he is quick to avoid taking a position.

As a State Senator he was THE ONLY state senator to OPPOSE a law that prohibited early prison release for sex offenders - let me repeat that - HE SUPPORTED EARLY RELEASE FOR SEX OFFENDERS!!!

He pretends to come from a poor background when in fact he attended the most exclusive PRIVATE school in Hawaii!

The man is a snake-oil salesman and rather than voting for him, people are simply voting against Hillary or a continuation of a Republican leadership that has declared war on the middle class.

How absolutely tragic we have come to this point.

7:52 What point do you mean? That the GOP is trying to defame Barack Obama with lies about racism, or that the GOP has declared war on the American Middle Class?

4:46 I agree with myself too!

[Problem Solved!]

Mega Dittoes, fellows!

10:03..nice try in re-writing history. Racism is as racism does.

5:24 is completely clueless. Robaina is the most popular politician in Miami-Dade politics. He would win against ANYONE he runs against down there. Robaina would crush Marco hence why he won't run for that seat.