California rep backs Rubio for president

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) is backing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for president, he announced Wednesday, moving Rubio into second place behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the race for Capitol Hill support.

{mosads}LaMalfa, a second-term lawmaker representing a district in northeast California, lauded Rubio’s strength on matters related to national security.

“When it comes to terrorism, Marco Rubio understands the threats facing our country and he knows what is required to defeat terrorism,” LaMalfa said in a statement first obtained by The Hill. “Marco is fully prepared to be our next Commander In Chief and he has my full support. I proudly endorse Marco Rubio for President.”

Rubio has been picking up steam in the endorsements primary, and now counts 11 House members in his corner, as well as three U.S. senators, according to the FiveThirtyEight endorsement tracker.

That’s more than anyone but Bush, who is lapping the field with endorsements from 25 House members and three senators.

With LaMalfa’s endorsement, Rubio moves past Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who each have the backing of 10 House members.

Rubio has also been landing big-money donors in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, Idaho billionaire and GOP fundraiser Frank VanderSloot said he’d throw his support behind Rubio. Earlier this month, billionaire hedge fund manager and GOP donor Paul Singer announced the same.