Rubio lands third lawmaker endorsement

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) will announce his support for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential bid later on Thursday, giving the surging Florida Republican his third endorsement from a Capitol Hill lawmaker.

{mosads}“Marco Rubio is a generational leader who has a bold vision for creating jobs in the 21st Century, and I am proud to endorse him for President,” Moolenaar said in a statement first obtained by The Hill. “Marco’s plan for a New American Economy is exactly what Michigan and our country needs and I will do everything I can to help elect him.”

Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia has also announced his support for Rubio, as has Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), who is so far the only member of Florida’s GOP delegation to back Rubio over his in-state 2016 rival, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Bush has dominated the other contenders in scooping up lawmaker endorsements. He has the support of 20 members of the House, including 11 of Florida’s 17 GOP House members. Bush has also won the backing of three U.S. senators.

Bush has made an aggressive push to win support from lawmakers on Capitol Hill; his 23 total Capitol Hill endorsements give him more than double those of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the next-closest contender, who has 11.

However, Rubio has gained on Bush, and in some cases overtaken him in the polls since the second main-stage Republican presidential debate last week.

A Florida Atlantic University survey released this week shows Rubio zooming past Bush in their shared home state, although both men still trail Donald Trump badly.

National polls are showing a similar post-debate bump for Rubio. The latest Fox News survey showed him leaping from an eighth-place tie in August — past Bush — into a third-place tie presently.

Rubio appears to be among the biggest beneficiaries of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker dropping out of the race.

Several major Walker donors are giving Rubio a second look, and Rubio’s campaign moved quickly to lock down the governor’s former supporters.

Walker’s former New Hampshire co-chairman, Cliff Hurst, has switched his endorsement to Rubio, as has Walker’s former South Carolina executive committeeman, Drew Johnson.

Rubio has also picked up three of Walker’s Iowa county chairmen and two members of his leadership team in the Hawkeye State.