Marco Rubio: “I Will Not Seek, Do Not Want to Be Considered for Vice President”

Sen. Marco Rubio posted a statement on social media on Monday saying he “will not seek” and does “not want to be considered for Vice President.” The freshman senator, who was defeated by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in his own state, has remained largely quite and out of the public eye since he suspended his campaign for president on March 15.

Worth noting, the campaign for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has leaked an alleged story to CNN claiming their polling showed they could’ve beat Donald Trump if Sen. Rubio agreed to be the vice presidential nominee. For the record, we at PPD do not buy this story or their assertion. Our polling simply did not support that theory. In fact, many of Sen. Rubio’s supporters had already shifted to Cruz at that period and more went to Mr. Trump as time went on.

The Cruz campaign polled in three March 15 primary states, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina — though not in Ohio, home to Kasich, or in Florida.

They also tested the matchup in a poll in Arizona, which would hold its contest on March 22, and in Wisconsin, which would hold its primary on April 5…

“Blowout,” said a source close to Cruz. “65%-35%,” with Trump losing…

But Cruz could not reach [Rubio] on the phone, and others reported back to the Cruz campaign that Rubio did not seem interested in having a discussion about this at all.

“He went off the grid,” said a source close to Cruz. Cruz campaign officials speculated that Rubio was interested in preserving his political viability for a contested GOP convention or the 2020 race.