Dem super-PAC chides Rubio over missed votes

A Democratic super-PAC is needling Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) by questioning his justification for missing last week’s vote on the omnibus funding bill. 

The Republican presidential candidate told CBS News on Friday that “in essence, not voting for it is a vote against it,” because the Senate needed 60 votes to clear a filibuster on the bill. 

But Jessica Mackler, president of American Bridge 21st Century, pushed back at that rationale in a statement shared exclusively with The Hill.  

“Marco Rubio wants us to take him at his word that not showing up is voting no,” she said. 

{mosads}“Ok, then GOP primary voters are surely going to want to know why he ‘voted no’ on approving Keystone, requiring Iran to recognize Israel, preventing the president from lifting Iran sanctions, and defense reauthorization? Good luck explaining that to conservatives, Senator.” 

Rubio is on record supporting the Keystone XL oil pipeline and for Iran to recognize Israel, and he has opposed lifting sanctions on Iran.

But the senator’s opponents have repeatedly criticized him during his presidential bid for missing votes, and three of the four votes that Mackler mentions took place during his bid. Those attacks have become more frequent as Rubio’s poll numbers rise and he is increasingly seen as a top contender for the nomination.

An American Bridge aide also told The Hill that the critique will be a part of its messaging against Rubio moving forward.

While Rubio voted against the Iran nuclear deal at various points, he missed the final attempts at blocking it in September. Those votes, on amendments and a bill to block it, occurred one day after a presidential debate in California. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), a fellow candidate, also missed the vote, though Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) made it back in time.

The Defense reauthorization vote happened in November, and the Keystone vote occurred in January, well before Rubio began his presidential bid.

American Bridge is not the only Democratic group stepping up attacks on Rubio. In the fall, The Hill reported that Priorities USA, a super-PAC aligned with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, issued a dozen separate emails or advertisements that directly attacked Rubio over a span of two weeks. The group targeted him more than any other GOP candidate during that time.

Rubio is in third place in RealClearPolitics’ average of national polls, and he places third in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.