GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, like his stance on gun control, went out blazing in the Iowa caucuses. But instead of firing at his GOP rivals, he demonstrated his "forward thinking" and went directly and attacked Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

During a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, the Florida senator campaigned with a purpose despite trailing behind front runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. He addressed the crowd and laid out his case on why he should be next president of the United States.

Rubio said in a crowd of hundreds, "We are not just picking a political party, we are picking the very identity of our nation. That is what's at stake in this election." Latino Fox News reported.

The move was seen as an effort by the young politician to be seen as the next generation of conservatives, while throwing some subtle jab at Democrat Hillary Clinton, who he thinks is the "embodiment" of partisan gridlock in the White House.

It seems that the senator has upped the ante of his campaign, while maintaining a sense of composure by choosing not to attack his GOP rivals. As of now, both Cruz and Trump are battling it out for the lead in the polls and have fired shots to each other relentlessly ever since the last Republican debate.

As for Rubio, he highlighted candidates who voted to approve the reduction of military spending and allegedly called out fellow senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.

Rubio's newfound aggressiveness and confidence may be attributed to recently receiving a highly coveted endorsement from the Des Moines Register.

In a report by The Washington Post, Sen. Rubio, along with Hillary Clinton, got the publication's important endorsement ahead of the primary elections.

Apart from the endorsement, Rubio and Clinton also have another something in common - both are lagging behind their rivals in the Iowa polls.

But with the state's largest and most influential newspaper backing them up, there's a great chance that it will affect the polls just a little over a week of the caucuses.

The register's editorial noted, "Sen. Marco Rubio has the potential to chart a new direction for the party, and perhaps the nation, with his message of restoring the American dream."

"We endorse him because he represents his party's best hope," It said.

As for Rubio, he maintained that he thinks he's still the most electable Republican candidate, and he may very well be right. For him, "If you make me the nominee, we're gonna win. I will beat Hillary Clinton," and claimed he will win without compromising his principles.