With the 2016 presidential election just a year and a half away now, all eyes are turning to the potential nominees. One of the top choices right now is the young and charismatic Marco Rubio, who recently burst onto the national scene in 2010 through his defeat of Republican governor Charlie Crist to become the junior senator from Florida.

His minority status and ability to appeal to a large segment of the national voter base has led the GOP to see him as their own version of Barack Obama. President Obama posted massive wins within the Latino demographic in Florida, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. Senator Rubio has managed his image carefully and delivered one of the most well received speeches of the year at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Last year, TIME magazine ran a cover of him calling Rubio "The Republican Savior" and conservative columnists George Will and Charles Krauthammer were pushing him as the GOP frontrunner. At the time, Rubio tweeted in response "There is only one Savior, and I am not Him#Jesus."

In fact, Rubio is making a name for himself as possibly the most leading charismatic speaker in the GOP. Adam Smith, leading political editor of the Tampa Bay Times, wrote after Rubio's speech critiquing the Cuban regime, "after high-profile denunciations of repression by Venezuelan leaders, Rubio reminds many opinion leaders on the right that he remains the most inspiring orator among the potential 2016 GOP contenders."

Rubio is a son of Cuban immigrants and that could allow him to help the GOP in recovering from Mitt Romney's poor popularity among Latinos. It should be mentioned, however, that not all Latinos are so quick to embrace Cuban-Americans who have a special immigration status in the United States. Regardless, the fact that he is Latino could be enough for voters who will want to see one of their own in the White House. Being from Florida, Rubio would have an especially good chance win the state's crucial primary.

Rubio leads the Senate in passing comprehensive immigration reform, an increasingly important national issue as the Hispanic population in the United States grows larger. He faces an uphill battle in that regard; even as Latinos welcomed his efforts, Rubio's standing among conservatives fell and late last year Rubio backed away from comprehensive immigration reform and instead recommended that Congress make piece-meal changes. He has joined tea party members in the Senate by supporting a government shutdown to defund Obamacare and polls have shown that Rubio has moved into the middle of the GOP nomination pack.

Rubio has been on Rush Limbaugh's show, which has a weekly audience of 30 million, to promote his immigration plan. "What you have to understand is that what we have now in this country is de facto amnesty," Rubio said. His plan was to make the undocumented people pay a fine, go to the back of the line and eventually obtain legal status barring any criminal convictions. He said his goal was to make it so the Democrats could no longer use immigration reform as a weapon against the GOP in future election cycle: "They can try to sell that, but I doubt people are going to buy it. Because the reality of it is we have put something that is very common sense and reasonable."

Marco needs a signature issue such as poverty and income inequality, especially at a time when Republicans are trying to reinvent themselves towards low-income Americans. Rubio has previously argued against welfare and unemployment benefits as effective policies for helping the poor.

Rubio will have to continue to play his cards right and most likely stick to the party orthodoxy, especially when it comes to attacking Obamacare and criticizing the IRS, plus pushing American exceptionalism and a bolder U.S. foreign policy. Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union and former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, said that it is unfair to judge Marco Rubio based on presidential expectations. "It's not been his performance that we've been judging; it's the impossible set of expectations that were thrust upon him," he said.

While the GOP side of the board does not have a clear winner but here's a rundown of the other top contenders.

Chris Christie, the charismatic and blunt-talking governor of New Jersey who won a landslide reelection in 2013 including a majority of the women's vote, half of the Latino vote, and a third of the Democratic votes.

Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky who has become the leading voice for libertarianism within the Republican Party after his filibuster against drones and sponsoring the idea of a U.S. Supreme Court challenge against government surveillance of phone records.

Paul Ryan, who was a vice presidential candidate as Mitt Romney's sidekick in 2012, who has long been seen as a rising young star, known for his mastery of budgetary and fiscal matters.

Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas who has made a name for himself as a top tea party politician. Cruz wants to rewrite the tax code, abolish the Internal Revenue Service, and get rid of the Affordable Care Act.

Scott Walker, the Wisconson governor whose national potential has been talked up by Republicans. He proposed limits on most collective bargaining rights for unionized public workers and became the first US governor to survive a recall.

Jeb Bush, the successful two-term governor of Florida, who is a respected conservative with an intellectual streak plus deep political and fundraising connections.

John Kasich, governor of Ohio, ran briefly in 2000 and might run again. He brings 18 years of experience as a member of Congress to the table, including six years as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Bobby Jindal, Louisiana governor and one of the young wonders of the Republican Party. He was chairman of the Republican Governors Association and has been a member of Congress, assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as president of Louisiana's state university system and secretary of the state Department of Health and Hospitals.

Rick Santorum, the former senator of Pennsylvania was the runner-up to Mitt Romney in the 2012 primaries and has stated his interest in running again. Santorum is popular with evangelical Christians who like his conservative Catholic faith and emphasis on social issues.

Jon Huntsman, who got no traction in the 2012 primaries and dropped out early. He is former governor of Utah and former US ambassador to China, a well-spoken moderate who could attract swing voters.

Peter King, a member of the House and 11-term congressman from New York who has already announced that he will run. His goal is to fight growing isolationism in the Republican Party.

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and 2008 presidential candidate who is now a talk show host on Fox News and a celebrity within the party.

Rick Perry, the four-term governor of Texas and longest-serving chief executive in state history. He had a 2012 presidential campaign but dropped out of the race after an embarrassing debate performance.

Scott Brown, the former senator from Massachusetts who hinted that he will test the waters in 2016. He is classic Northeastern GOP: fiscally conservative, a defense hawk, and moderate on social issues. He served three years as a senator and has a political record that puts him in the center.