Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio continues to attract endorsements from current and previous congressional lawmakers, and his latest endorsement comes from a Pennsylvania senator who opposed Rubio's comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Rubio's Advantage, According to Toomey

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., announced his endorsement of Florida's junior senator. According to Toomey, he called Rubio last week stating he's willing to provide the Cuban American with any help possible to become the next U.S. president.

"I'm endorsing his candidacy and am very optimistic about his prospects," Toomey said on Wednesday during an appearance on CNN.

"We face a huge national security crisis, obviously emanating from the Middle East. There is tension all around the world. I think Marco has demonstrated a clear understanding. He's done the hard work, he's very knowledgeable, thoughtful, he's a smart guy. He's demonstrated the leadership. ... Domestically, I think we've sometimes have a crisis of confidence, and Marco has an extraordinary ability, I think, to communicate and to inspire people. I think he's going to be a really strong leader."

In response to fellow Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush's criticism that Rubio and Ted Cruz haven't made a "tough decision" in their lives, Toomey said the Florida senator made tough decisions on retaining the National Security Agency's monitoring protocol and foreign policy. In a race against Cruz and Donald Trump, GOP candidates who have also dominated news headlines, Toomey said Rubio is the strongest candidate to compete against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Immigration Differences

Toomey also spoke about his differences on the Senate's 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 744), which included more border security and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already in the U.S. While Rubio co-sponsored and voted for the bill, Toomey voted against it. Although the bill passed the Senate, S. 744 was never picked up for debate or vote in the House of Representatives. The Pennsylvania senator said he did disagree with Rubio about the bill, but acknowledged Rubio has changed his stance on handling immigration reform legislation.

"[Rubio] has come to the conclusion that's not the right way to go forward and so we're in agreement, now, on how to go forward," said Toomey. "I think many of the other candidates in this field have also changed their minds over various aspects of immigration reform because it's a tough, complicated, difficult issue but I think Marco is absolutely right, he understands nothing can happen unless we can convince the American people we have security on our borders and that we can keep dangerous people out of this country. Marco understands that and he's right."

On June 27, 2013, S. 744 received 68 votes in favor and 32 against. Voting in favor, with Rubio, were former 2016 Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham, 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain and current Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Fellow Latino Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., also voted in favor of the bill.

__

For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

Related