U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has made his interest in the 2016 presidential election known, and he has taken an extra step with the hiring of a former Mitt Romney campaign aide.

Rubio has hired Jim Merrill, a Republican aide who has previously worked for Romney's 2008 and 2012 New Hampshire campaigns. Merrill will work for Rubio's political action committee (PAC), known as the Reclaim America PAC. According to its website, Reclaim America PAC supports conservatives for the U.S. Senate.

In a tweet, Merrill confirmed his addition and said he is "proud to join the Reclaim America PAC team."

Other potential Republican presidential candidates, including Jeb Bush, have reportedly sought Merrill. Merrill, instead, offered his services to Rubio, but had no criticism about the other presumptive candidates. In a statement about joining Rubio's PAC, via the New York Times, Merrill shared a similar tone to Romney about supporting a younger Republican candidate.

"What Mitt said was right: It's time for the next generation of Republican leadership," said Merrill, adding that Rubio is "the most exciting candidate in the field."

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Merrill said he would not have joined Rubio's PAC as a senior adviser if the Florida senator is at risk of losing the New Hampshire primary. He said, "I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think he could. [Rubio] knows what it means to engage voters, do town halls, run personal, door-to-door campaigns. I've never seen a more talented guy."

"Marco has always been well-received in New Hampshire, and should he run for president, he would be very competitive there," Terry Sullivan, director for Reclaim America PAC, said, according to the Associated Press. "Jim certainly knows how to win in New Hampshire and in the Northeast, and will be a great addition to our team at Reclaim America."

According to Open Secrets, the Reclaim America PAC raised $87,000 during the "final weeks" of 2014, which was less than the $114,217 from Sen. Rand Paul's, R-Ky., Reinventing a New Direction (RAND) PAC.

Rubio is scheduled to visit New Hampshire in late February to promote his book, "American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone."

A Bloomberg New Hampshire poll, however, shows Rubio has some work ahead of him with Granite State residents. When Republican survey voters were asked which potential Republican presidential candidate was their first choice, Rubio ranked seventh place, behind Bush, Paul, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and neurologist Ben Carson. Rubio's odds did improve to third place when GOP primary were asked for a second choice, losing to Bush and Christie.

Rubio is scheduled to visit New Hampshire in late February to promote his book, "American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone."

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

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