http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/marco-rubio-senate-republicans-220516 Rubio's Senate support splinters
With the Florida senator's presidential hopes looking increasingly dire, some supporters are weighing Cruz as an alternative.
By Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim
03/09/16 06:14 PM EST
After Marco Rubio spent months building support on Capitol Hill, his network of congressional backing is on the verge of fracturing.
In interviews with POLITICO, some of Rubio's endorsers and quiet supporters are openly weighing backing Ted Cruz — who is almost universally loathed within the Republican conference but viewed increasingly as a better option than Donald Trump.
Indeed, once Rubio is swept aside, Cruz may be the only option if GOP senators want to stop Trump.
“I could see myself as a Cruz supporter,” said Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who endorsed Rubio after Jeb Bush faltered. “There’s some things I don’t agree with him on but if I agree with him 80 percent of the time and he’s a conservative, we’re going to get along just fine.”
And while his most optimistic supporters spun away Rubio’s dreadful Tuesday performance as a tactical choice not to focus on states like Mississippi and Michigan, his backers on Capitol Hill agree: If he doesn’t win Florida, his viability officially plummets to zero.
“I think everyone knows that,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), another Rubio backer.
“If he does well in Florida, he’s back in the game,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a third Rubio endorser. “If he doesn’t, it’s gonna be very difficult.”
Even the Rubio campaign says it's win or go home in the Florida contest. Asked about the increasingly dim views of Rubio’s chances within the Senate GOP, Rubio spokesman Alex Conant responded: “We appreciate their support. We're 100 percent focused on winning Florida this week.”
Rubio has yet to be awarded a single delegate from Tuesday’s primary contests, and on Wednesday his Hill backers struggled to chart out a path to his nomination. Some suggested a contested convention is both his and the party’s best shot at success. Rubio got smoked in Mississippi, manhandled in Michigan and came in third in Idaho, despite the backing of conservative GOP Sen. Jim Risch, who easily won reelection there in 2014.
Moving forward, Rubio’s most outspoken supporters said that if the senator wins Florida, John Kasich wins Ohio and the party makes a concerted effort against Trump, then maybe Rubio could snag a majority of delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
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