Byron York sums up what remains of Rubio’s “strategy”:
Rubio plan, apparently: No need to win IA NH SC NV TX GA VA TN AL AR OK CO VT MN MA MI. Game starts in FL 3/15. Feels a little like Rudy 08.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 24, 2016
The comparison with Giuliani at this point is quite unfair…to Giuliani. In 2008, Florida’s primary was held at the end of January, and it was one of the earliest contests that year. The Florida primary fell the week before Super Tuesday that year, and it will come two weeks after it this year. Giuliani’s plan to hang on until Florida in the hopes that it would provide him with a big win was never going to work for many reasons, but it wasn’t remotely as silly as what Rubio is doing.
Rubio may be from Florida, he still isn’t likely to win the state’s primary. He has consistently trailed behind Trump and Cruz in the state for months. If he hasn’t won anything else before Florida votes, it’s not clear why Florida Republicans would rally behind him. Remember that the vast majority of Florida Republicans didn’t want him to run for president, and they can hardly be satisfied by the job that he’s been doing for them lately as senator. He is the “favorite son” that most Floridian Republicans don’t favor for president, and it seems unlikely that three more weeks of losing to Trump will change that.