Corker: 'I Strongly Encouraged' Rubio to 'Reconsider and Seek Re-election'

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is jumping on the bandwagon urging one of his committee members, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), to run for re-election.

Rubio vowed to not run for a second term back in April 2015 when he decided to run for president.

The filing deadline in Florida is June 24. Reps. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and David Jolly (R-Fla.) as well as Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera are vying for the GOP nomination, while Reps. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) and Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) want the Dem nod.

CNN reported today that GOPs are nervous about losing the Senate seat and want Rubio, who has been very busy with legislation and advocating for his signature issues since returning to the upper chamber in mid-March, to reconsider.

“It’s obviously a very personal decision, but I think it be good for the party, it would be good for the Senate — I’d like to see him do it,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told the network. “I hear a lot of buzz around here from members and others; that’s a conversation we need to have.”

After the report came out, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) chimed in with a public statement supporting the pressure on Rubio.

“Marco Rubio is a very valuable member of the Senate — especially in his role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he demonstrates a deep understanding of foreign policy — and earlier this afternoon, I strongly encouraged him to reconsider his decision and seek re-election,” Corker said.

Corker met with Donald Trump on Monday, stoking speculation that Trump is looking at the chairman as a potential VP pick. News then surfaced that a real-estate firm tied to Corker is under investigation for fraud by the FBI and SEC.

Rubio’s office maintains the senator will become a “private citizen” in 2016.

Rubio took a jab at his presidential run on Twitter Wednesday:

Rubio 2ndguesses on robotic moment. Rubio 2nd guesses on robotic moment.Rubio 2ndguesses on robotic moment. https://t.co/1l5VhnU9li

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 25, 2016

Rubio also defended New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as “one of the hardest working and most effective Governors in America” and tweeted, “GOP mulling overhaul of primaries? How about making Minnesota, Puerto Rico and D.C. the first three primaries?”