Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has penned an op-ed in the New Hampshire Union-Leader (the biggest newspaper in the state that endorsed Newt Gingrich for president in 2012) making the case for why voters should elect Scott Brown to the United States Senate in six days.
The editorial is likely to be read widely — and openly discussed — but perhaps it has one intended audience: conservatives in the state who are leery of voting for a candidate who is both pro-choice and unreliable on Second Amendment rights.
But in a race this close, he needs conservatives to turn out. And because Rubio’s reliably conservative on many important issues other than immigration, his endorsement could tip the scales for some voters.
“Throughout my time in public service, I have worked closely with hundreds of legislators at the city, state and federal levels,” he began. “But Scott Brown has been one of a kind.”
Rubio touted Brown’s independent record, his devotion to “free enterprise, limited government, and conservative solutions to today’s challenges,” and his decades of service in the Massachusetts National Guard. And while he had some kind things to say about incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), he was emphatic that her partisan record just doesn’t wash.
“I have also worked with Jeanne Shaheen,” he wrote. “She too is a decent person with whom I’ve had a cordial relationship and worked on some issues. But 99 percent of the time, she has voted for President Obama’s agenda — an agenda that has saddled us with more debt, more uncertainty about the future at home and abroad, but not enough jobs. In this race, Scott Brown is simply a better choice for those like me who are tired of the direction America is headed and are fighting to make sure the American Dream doesn’t slip away forever.”
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The argument is clear: If Granite Staters are happy with the status quo, and an incumbent Senator who carries water for the president, they know who to vote for. If, however, they’re looking for a change, and a chance to take the country in a new direction, they should vote for Scott Brown.
It remains to be seen if this line of argument will ultimately carry him over the finish line. But there’s no denying that Brown’s message has resonated; the race is now a dead heat.
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