Why Donald Trump Poses an Existential Threat to Marco Rubio

In the battle for the soul of the GOP, the billionaire represents a radically different “future” than the senator is selling.

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, listens to a question during an interview after an event at the Uber Technologies Inc. office in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 24, 2014.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Sahil Kapur

September 11, 2015 at 9:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The latest CNN poll on Thursday found that only two Republican presidential candidates have experienced statistically significant shifts in the last month: Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.

Between Aug. 13-16 and Sept. 4-8, the brash New York businessman surged from 24 percent to 32 percent support, while the first-term Florida senator sank from 8 percent to 3 percent. Many surveys over the summer reflect this reality, both nationally and in early primary states: Trump is leading the pack while Rubio battles to stay in the top five. It's a blow to Rubio, 44, who upon entering the race in April was hailed on the right as perhaps the GOP's best hope in the 2016 election.