WASHINGTON
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told donors in a conference call early Monday that he will run for president in 2016, according to news reports.
The 43-year-old Florida senator elected in 2010 with tea party support is now the third big name Republican in the race following Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Rubio, a Cuban-American, has been one of the most fervent critics of the Obama administration's effort to restore relations with Cuba.
On Saturday, he slammed President Barack Obama’s meeting with Cuban leader Raúl Castro at the seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama.
“This is the country that is the third most active espionage force in America today, operating against us, [and also has] military officials who have been indicted in federal court for the murder of U.S. citizens over international waters,” Rubio said in an interview on a private TV channel.
He was also among 47 senators who signed an open letter to Iran’s leaders saying that any nuclear deal between the republic and the U.S. and world powers could be revoked by Congress.
Rubio will hold a rally Monday evening at Miami's Freedom Tower, an iconic symbol for Cuban Americans, where he is expected to make a formal announcement about his intentions for a run for office.
