Meeting Marco
Standing in line, my palms were sweating. I was so nervous and I didn’t want my handshake to be awkward. This guy could be running for president in a few years, he was a rising star. My roommate in D.C. let me in on the gig- she was interning for Rubio at the time. She even let me borrow one of her dresses for the photo op. All the young people around me were excited. Rubio seemed to be more approachable of a politician, the girl behind me was wondering if he would do the “Florida Gator” sign. Finally, it was my turn to get a picture with him. He greeted me with a big smile, “Hi, where are you from?” he asked. I was trying to smile for the picture and talk at the same time, which resulted in an extremely awkward first photo. “I’m from Iowa!” I said. I think he was interested when I said Iowa, he probably was thinking in the next few months he would be spending a LOT of time in Iowa.
Soon enough, he showed up in my home state. He was promoting his autobiography at Barnes and Noble, and I was working for Iowa Public Television as a production assistant. I had the honor of holding the boom mic above my head (and Rubio’s) so that we could get audio of his interactions with people who wanted to get their books signed. Everyone was buzzing, one older woman almost cried when she met him. She spoke to him in Spanish, telling him thank you and encouraging him to run for president. It was February 2015, so the pressure was on for Rubio to make a decision. When it was time for him to leave, Rubio seemed genuinely sorry that he had to. He apologized to the crowd, but said that his daughter had a volleyball game later that night and he couldn’t miss it. He seemed like a normal dad.
The next time, Rubio returned full fledged as a presidential candidate. It was August 2015, and my Grandma heard that Rubio would be speaking at Wellman’s West Des Moines. I had been working at the Iowa State Fair all day, chasing around candidates and I was pretty tuckered out, but I knew my Grandma wanted meet Rubio. He seemed presidential to her, he was likable. I called my Grandma and asked if she wanted to go with me to Wellman’s. She replied, gushing, “Oh! But what will I wear?” I knew that meant she wanted to go.
Wellman’s rooftop was packed with people, and Rubio arrived a little late to give his speech. My Grandma was a bit restless because dark clouds were rolling in, it was about to thunder-storm. Luckily, Rubio made light of the situation. He said he would give his speech fast so that people would have time to run for cover. He gave a speech, highlighting his story about his middle class family, his dad a bartender and mom a house cleaner. The crowd was captivated, people were listening to him. He talked about education and the economy, about the “New American Century.” He said he was proud of America, and excited for the future.
After his speech, he made his way throughout the crowd. I could tell my Grandma wanted a picture with him, so I had to part the sea of people trying to talk with the Senator. I finally made my way, along with my Grandma, and shook Sen. Rubio’s hand for the second time. I told him I worked on Capitol Hill and I knew a few of his interns last summer. He was engaged and asked me questions as well. We snapped a picture, and then he went on to greet the rest of the crowd.
Rubio excited the audience around him. Personally, I still think he would be the best candidate for the Republican party to win the presidency. At the same time, Rubio is incredibly conservative on social issues and tends to be more of a hawk when it comes to foreign policy. He is young, with little experience. Like President Obama, Rubio is only a first term senator. He has not held an executive position such as governor or mayor. He has received criticism for missing votes in the Senate. Yet, Rubio holds strong conviction that he is meant to serve as president. He inspires excitement in everyone that meets him, he would be a spark-plug for young Republicans. He is eloquent and easy to understand, a force to be reckoned with in the race to the White House.
