Why Marco Rubio Is Florida’s Not-So-Favorite Son

Marco Rubio has been effectively running for president for the past six years. It may end up costing him a much-needed victory in his own home state—and with it, any hope of the Republican nomination.

For all of the Florida senator's attention to the national political scene—getting out front on an immigration issue party leaders identified as a priority, backing away when conservative activists rejected it, campaigning for other Republican candidates, orchestrating his own immigration apology tour along the way—Rubio has left his most important voters—the ones who've actually pulled a lever for him—unattended. And now, as Rubio needs his home state more than ever, he’s finding they’ve moved on, too. Two recent polls in advance of the Florida primary next Tuesday show Rubio getting doubled up by New York businessman and former reality TV show host Donald Trump.