Rubio: I’m more experienced than Barack Obama was in 2008

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that he is more experienced than President Obama was when he started his presidential campaign, despite the fact that both launched campaigns as first-term senators.

“Well, I don’t think there is any doubt about that in terms of the years, but also what we did,” Rubio said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I mean, he was, as I said, he was back bencher in the Illinois legislature; I was the speaker of the Florida house, the majority leader, the majority whip.”

“I’ve been in the Senate now for 4-1/2 years. I’ll have been in the Senate for six years where I’ve spent a significant amount of time every day working on intelligence issues and also on foreign relations. ” 

In 2008, Obama was hit by opponents with charges that he was too green to lead the country. It’s unclear if Rubio will face similar attacks from older opponents in the field.

But Rubio is not the only younger Republican vying for the White House. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), both of whom have announced their candidacies, are in their first terms as well.

In his announcement speech on Monday night, Rubio said that America needed a new generation to step up and lead the country — a line that could be an attack against both former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner.

“Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America,” Rubio said. “We can’t do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past. We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them.”