Rubio not yet committing to presidential run

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), stumping here for GOP Senate hopeful Joni Ernst, said he won’t decide until early next year whether he’ll run for the White House, and continued to insist that his political mentor and fellow Florida Republican, Jeb Bush, wouldn’t be a factor.

The former Florida governor’s son recently said it was “more than likely” Bush would move forward with a campaign. And his wife, Columba, once cool to the idea of a high- profile presidential bid, is now said to be on board.

{mosads}”As I’ve said before, my decision will be based on my own criteria and I’m sure [Bush would] give you the same answer about his,” Rubio told The Hill in a brief interview as he emerged from a campaign stop in Java Lounge coffee shop.

Rubio, 43, a first-term senator, will decide about a presidential run in the “early part of next year.”

“I don’t know if I have a date in mind or even a month but the early part of next year,” he said.

Asked if his wife, the mother of their four young children, was behind a possible 2016 bid, Rubio replied: “It’s a decision we’ll make together. It won’t be a surprise to her one way or the other.”

Ernst said she didn’t agree with the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill Rubio helped shepherd through the Senate last year. But the state senator said she’d like to see him and many others run for the White House.

“I’d like to see a lot of people jump into the 2016 race,” Ernst said. “I think we’ve got some great potentials out there. And I think he would be a great candidate.”

Rubio joined Ernst on multiple campaign stops throughout Iowa on Tuesday. They will wrap up tonight in Bettendorf in the Quad Cities, where both will speak at the Scott County GOP’s annual Ronald Reagan dinner.

—This story was updated at 11:18 a.m. on Oct. 29.