http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/238601-progressive-group-rubio-bad-for-middle-classApril 13, 2015, 11:41 am
Progressives: Rubio bad for middle class
By Jordain Carney
A progressive outside group is hitting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ahead of an expected presidential campaign announcement Monday, saying he's bad for middle-class families.
People For the American Way launched a Spanish-language radio ad against the Florida senator on Monday morning. The ad will run this week in Denver and Miami.
"Marco Rubio wants to be president — but he’s just another Republican with a dangerous plan," the ad says, according to an English translation.
"Instead of making sure grandma and grandpa can go to the doctor when they are sick, he wants to cut the Medicare they need to stay healthy."
The ad also targets Rubio on immigration, saying that "instead of giving Dreamers an opportunity to go to college and build a future, Marco Rubio voted to deport them."
Rubio was one of eight senators that worked in 2013 to craft comprehensive immigration reform legislation. However, he has earned heavy criticism from Democrats for distancing himself from the legislation, which stalled in the House.
People For the American Way board member Dolores Huerta said in a statement that, “just like the rest of the Republican Party, Rubio's wrong for working families: He supports getting rid of the minimum wage, cutting Medicare, and deporting DREAMers.”
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) suggested Monday that Rubio's background wouldn't "automatically" win him votes among Hispanics.
"Just because he is Hispanic does not mean he automatically earns the votes of Hispanic voters across the country," she said during an interview with MSNBC's "The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart."
Rubio reportedly confirmed to donors Monday morning that he will run for president in 2016. He's expected to make a pubic announcement Monday evening.
