Sen. Marco Rubio's strong third-place win in Iowa, only slightly behind Donald Trump, sets him up to be the "Establishment" alternative to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz. Rubio moved quickly to generate an appearance of momentum the morning after with an endorsement video by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, one of the few African-American Republicans currently in elective office.
As such, it's not your average endorsement video. While either Latino, Rubio or Cruz, would represent a historic breakthrough for Republicans, leaning on Scott to make the case for Rubio is a way to suggest he's the one who can best expand the Republican electorate beyond their white base.
Then using some circular logic, Scott implicitly argues that Rubio is a more electable choice than Cruz, "We have one shot in 2016 to beat Hillary Clinton. That shot is Marco Rubio, and with him as our candidate, we win."
We'll see if Scott is just the beginning of a parade of similar endorsements for Rubio, or if he still has some hurdles to clear before the Establishment bandwagon takes off.
As such, it's not your average endorsement video. While either Latino, Rubio or Cruz, would represent a historic breakthrough for Republicans, leaning on Scott to make the case for Rubio is a way to suggest he's the one who can best expand the Republican electorate beyond their white base.
Tim Scott Is A Big Get For Marco Rubio
"It's a long way from where I grew up to the U.S. Senate" begins Scott, visiting the rickety old house that he presumably was raised in. Pegging his success as a bellwether for the future, he pledges, "I believe the best days of our country are ahead of her." And echoing Rubio's optimistic messaging, Scott proclaims "I believe that [Rubio] takes us to that better future."Then using some circular logic, Scott implicitly argues that Rubio is a more electable choice than Cruz, "We have one shot in 2016 to beat Hillary Clinton. That shot is Marco Rubio, and with him as our candidate, we win."
Can Tim Scott Help Rubio Fend Off Ted Cruz?
There are few non-white voters participating in Republican primaries, so Scott's import is not in attracting those voters now. It's in convincing white Republicans that attracting those voters is both necessary and possible, as well as in de-emphasizing the need for the ideological purity represented by Cruz.We'll see if Scott is just the beginning of a parade of similar endorsements for Rubio, or if he still has some hurdles to clear before the Establishment bandwagon takes off.