Florida Sen. Marco Rubio made a final pitch to Atlanta voters Monday on the eve of the state's primary, vowing to stay in the race "until I literally have no voice" to block billionaire Donald Trump from seizing the nomination.
“Today, Donald Trump leads in many polls and has won many delegates. And if it is to be believed, he’s going to do very well tomorrow, according to the experts and the pundits,” Rubio told a crowd of more than 1,000 at an Atlanta hotel. “But that won’t change what I’m doing. I’ll go anywhere and speak to anyone before I let a con artist get a hold of the party.”
Rubio trails Trump in polls in Georgia and the other Super Tuesday states, and time is running out for an alternative to emerge. While Rubio competes with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for that title, Trump has won three states in a row without getting a majority vote from the GOP electorate.
The Florida Republican has yet to win a state, and polls show he's unlikely to pick up any victories on Tuesday. But he's hoping to pick off enough delegates in the sweep of states that hold primaries and caucuses this week to stay in the race until his home state of Florida and other large states cast ballots on March 15.
"They keep calling it the SEC primary. There’s some ACC schools in there," he said to scattered cheers. "This is a Georgia Tech town, right?"
His return to Georgia comes just two days after he headlined a rally at a Kennesaw school. He's stepped up his attacks on Trump at the stops, casting Trump as a "con artist" fooling the American people. (Trump, meanwhile, will hold his own rally Monday night at Valdosta State University.)
“This is the person who has been successful at convincing some Americans that he has fought for them. He has never fought for anything except himself,” Rubio said of Trump.
“If this was just a business thing, it would be annoying. But what he’s asking you to do is to make him the next president of the United States. He’s asking you to make him the face and the voice of the Republican Party.”
His sharper elbows haven’t thrilled everyone in his camp. Kim Purser of Brookhaven, who said she supports Rubio because of his family values, said she wants him to steer clear of attacking the frontrunner.
“I don’t like that he’s going after Trump more aggressively,” she said. “I’d rather hear him speaking about him, rather than tearing someone else down. I can decide for himself.”
Rubio has picked up much of the mainstream support and endorsements in Georgia, and recent polls show him in a fierce battle with Cruz for second place in the Peach State. He is trying to close the gap by framing the race as a battle over the future of the Republican Party.
“A vote for Donald Trump tomorrow," he said, "is a vote for Hillary Clinton in November."
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