Marco?…Marco?…Call out his name in Iowa, and you’ll get no answer. That’s because Marco Rubio can’t stand the ground game. “No” to pig roasts, “no” to town halls, “no” to kissing babies. Normally, we’d say, “So what?” Except there’s a pattern here: time and again, Senator Rubio skipped votes and sat out of Senate hearings. Rubio, that chair in the Oval Office–it’s meant for sitting in not sitting out. Not a good start for his campaign for the Presidency.

Marco Rubio’s “Lazy” Campaign

Marco Rubio is a “Lazy” Campaigner

Salon Headline: “Marco Rubio’s ‘lazy’ campaign: His weak ground game might haunt him. [Salon, 12/22/15]

The Washington Post Headline:” “Will Rubio work hard enough to become president? Some backers are worried.” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

Salon described Marco Rubio’s campaign as “lethargic.” “Bottom line: Rubio is the establishment choice at the moment but he’s getting nowhere fast because he’s running a lethargic campaign that just isn’t very good. And it’s not getting any better.” [Salon, 12/18/15]

The Daily Beast: “Rubio’s apparent reluctance to really work the trail is all a bit mystifying.” “Rubio’s apparent reluctance to really work the trail is all a bit mystifying. He says he’s missing Senate votes because he’s busy campaigning, and then people in New Hampshire and Iowa get miffed that he’s nowhere to be found. You don’t need a lot of money to barnstorm, which is why it’s usually the preferred tactic of candidates like Rubio, who has lagged behind Cruz and Bush in the fundraising race.” [The Daily Beast, 12/16/15]

Marco Rubio isn’t Interested in Retail Politics

The Washington Post: Republican activists “are alarmed” at Marco Rubio’s “seeming disdain for the day-to-day grind of retail politics.” “Marco ­Rubio no doubt wants to sit behind the big desk in the Oval Office. What is not so clear is how hard he is willing to work to get there. Republican activists — including many who appreciate Rubio’s formidable political gifts and view him as the party’s best hope for beating Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton — say they are alarmed at his seeming disdain for the day-to-day grind of retail politics. Even some staunch supporters are anxious. ‘Rubio has not put in the face time that he really needs to have, I don’t think,’ said Al Phillips, an influential South Carolina pastor who backs Rubio. ‘I think that’s been somewhat to his detriment.’” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

Bloomberg: Marco Rubio’s strategy consists of “eschewing the kind of labor-intensive retail campaigning that voters in those early-voting states traditionally demand.” “But less than six weeks before the first votes of the race will be cast, Rubio has a light footprint in Iowa and New Hampshire compared to some of his chief competitors in each state. Eschewing the kind of labor-intensive retail campaigning that voters in those early-voting states traditionally demand, Rubio is waging a gamble by running a more national- and media-driven campaign. He has also placed a premium on landing wealthy donors, with notable successes.” [Bloomberg, 12/21/15]

Salon: Marco Rubio’s strategy views “in-person voter interaction” as “an ephemeral waste of time.” “The question that arises from all this is whether their candidate can win the nomination without actually winning the early contests that have historically determined the nominee. Rubio’s team seems to think so, and they’re basing it on a novel theory of politics that assumes a good debate performance is a lasting commodity, while an in-person voter interaction is an ephemeral waste of time.” [Salon, 12/22/15]

The Washington Post: Even when Marco Rubio came to Iowa, he stayed close to the Des Moines, earning the nickname “mayor of Ankeny,” the suburb where his state headquarters resided. “With the phenom from Florida, they haven’t yet. Though Rubio has lately stepped up his schedule in Iowa, for instance, he has usually stayed close to the Des Moines metropolitan area. Republicans joke that he is running for ‘mayor of Ankeny,’ the suburb where his state headquarters is located.” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

Iowa Radio Host chastised Marco Rubio for not putting the work in on the ground or building the relationships that are crucial to success in the Iowa caucuses. “Steve Deace, an influential Iowa radio host who endorsed Cruz, said of Rubio: ‘He did all the big cattle calls, but he didn’t put in the work on the ground either prior or post those events. I think his team had a skewed view of Iowa based on their involvement with [now-senator] Joni Ernst last year, and how they helped her win her primary. But this is a caucus, not a primary, which requires months of relationship-building that he never did.’” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

Marco Rubio is Disinterested in Building up a Ground Game in the Early States

Marco Rubio’s “paltry” Iowa presence left state Republicans doubting his commitment to the caucus. “In recent conversations with nearly a dozen unaffiliated Iowa GOP veterans, a consensus has emerged across the party’s ideological spectrum: The state’s caucus-goers are interested in Rubio, but his infrequent appearances and paltry field operation leave lingering doubts as to whether he is interested in them.” [National Review, 12/9/15]

Former Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director on Marco Rubio: “Of all the campaigns, he’s probably done the least of getting around the state.” ‘“It doesn’t seem like he really wants to win Iowa,’ says Craig Robinson, the state party’s former executive director, who is now editor of The Iowa Republican. ‘Of all the campaigns, he’s probably done the least of getting around the state. There are plenty of people who would love to vote for him. . . . But I hear more excitement on the ground in Iowa about Chris Christie than I do about Marco Rubio. And it shouldn’t be that way.”’ [National Review,12/9/15]

• Former Iowa Republican Party Executive Director: “It doesn’t seem like he really wants to win Iowa.” “‘It doesn’t seem like he really wants to win Iowa,’ says Craig Robinson, the state party’s former executive director, who is now editor of The Iowa Republican.” [National Review, 12/9/15]

Marco Rubio’s campaign infrastructure in New Hampshire was dwarfed by other campaigns. “As Senator Marco Rubio has climbed the polls, the Floridian lacks one element that has proved to be pivotal for previous winners of New Hampshire’s presidential primary: a robust ground game that can generate enthusiasm and support when voters go to the polls. […] A review by the Globe found that Rubio’s staff remains small compared to other top campaigns. He has seven paid aides in New Hampshire — a size more in line with what struggling candidates have. Other campaigns have double that number: Trump has 15 paid aides in the state, while Carson has 10. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush recently revealed he had increased the state staff to 20 people. Bush is also opening four offices in the state for a total of five; Rubio has one.” [Boston Globe, 12/2/15]

Marco Rubio made fewer appearances in New Hampshire than most of his main rivals for the Republican nomination. “On Tuesday, Rubio and a super PAC supporting his candidacy started an onslaught of 1,900 television advertisements — approximately $2.8 million worth — on the state’s top station. But underneath the buzz, GOP activists in New Hampshire are grumbling that Rubio has fewer staff members and endorsements than most of his main rivals and has made fewer campaign appearances in the state, where voters are accustomed to face-to-face contact with presidential contenders. ‘For much of this year, Rubio just hasn’t been here,’ said Belknap County Republican County chairman Alan Glassman, who is not backing a candidate.” [Boston Globe, 12/2/15]

Bloomberg: “Even as he faces fire for missing Senate votes, Rubio has spent less time in [New Hampshire] and has fewer campaign staff and volunteers than some of his rivals.” “As a result, in New Hampshire, which may be Rubio’s best bet for an early state victory, some Republican voters view him as a man of mystery. Even as he faces fire for missing Senate votes, Rubio has spent less time in the state and has fewer campaign staff and volunteers than some of his rivals.” [Bloomberg, 12/21/15]

Marco Rubio Doesn’t Care About Grass-roots Activists

The Washington Post: Grass-roots leaders complain that it’s difficult to convince Marco Rubio to speak at their events. “At his town halls, Rubio generally answers no more than a handful of questions. Leaders of grass-roots organizations grumble that it is difficult to entice him to speak at their events. And Rubio has limited interaction with the news media who cover him.” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

State Party Leader from important swing state lamented that “people have tried to get [Marco Rubio] to attend stuff, and he just hasn’t.” “A top party official from a critical swing state who spoke on the condition of anonymity on a topic of increasing sensitivity in GOP circles said that other contenders are becoming familiar faces to voters there. ‘The big question is, where is Marco Rubio? People have tried to get him to attend stuff, and he just hasn’t,’ the state party leader said.” [The Washington Post, 12/20/15]

Marco Rubio’s Laziness has Always Been a Problem

Senate votes

Marco Rubio had an absentee rate that was “four times the Senate average” over his first four years in office. “Of the lawmakers currently serving in the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the least likely to show up for work. He’s been in office for four years, and of 1,198 opportunities to vote, he has declined to do so 99 times. That’s an absentee rate of 8.2 percent—four times the Senate average of 2.01 percent.” [Vocativ, 2/17/15]

Marco Rubio was “one of the most absent senators” in 2014. “Rubio’s ambitions were aimed elsewhere. He began missing votes. He skipped 10 percent of them in 2014 — making him one of the most absent senators, with the 88th-best attendance record, according to statistics kept by GovTrack.us.” [Washington Post, 10/25/15]

Marco Rubio had “the worst voting attendance record” of any senator in 2015. “Rubio has the worst voting attendance record of any other senator for 2015, a fact that GOP presidential foe Donald Trump has been hammering home in recent weeks.” [CNN, 10/6/15]

Marco Rubio planned to miss “a crucial vote” on Homeland Security funding so he could test “the waters for a potential presidential campaign.” “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will miss a crucial vote in the U.S. Senate next week. Senate Republicans will try to break the Democrat filibuster of a House-passed bill that funds the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but blocks funding for President Obama’s executive amnesty. Rubio will miss the vote because he’ll be in New Hampshire, testing the waters for a potential presidential campaign. ‘Rubio will be in New Hampshire early next week, where he’s going to miss at least one vote in the Senate on the DHS deadlock,’ Politico’s Burgess Everett wrote on Friday morning in the tip sheet email by Politico, Huddle.” [Breitbart, 2/20/15]

Marco Rubio skipped a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline to fundraise. “Q. You missed the recent vote on the Keystone XL pipeline because you were doing some fundraising. Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley, a congressman at the time, took heat from Republicans for missing a Veterans Affairs committee meeting on the same day he made time to go to two fundraisers. Would a presidential bid hurt your U.S. Senate work? A. ‘That’s always a challenge. Obviously, if that vote had been in dispute, if there had been any question about whether we had sufficient votes to pass it, I certainly would have returned and cast that decisive vote. Knowing that we had more than enough support to get it done, unfortunately, one of the things that happens when you decide to run for something like president is it does force you to miss some time in the U.S. Senate. … Some of my colleagues that are thinking of running will have to make those choices fairly soon, as well.” [Des Moines Register, 2/12/15] 

Senate hearings 

Marco Rubio skipped a hearing on Osama Bin Laden that he had specifically called for. “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is expected to announce that he is running for president Monday, skipped a series of hearings in the aftermath of Osama Bin Laden’s death, including a specific hearing Rubio had called for on talk radio days before he skipped it. […] Three days later, Rubio skipped the Foreign Relations hearing on ‘Assessing U.S. Policy and Its Limits In Pakistan.’ The Washington Post first reported Rubio skipped the hearings but didn’t note Rubio had specifically called for them. The Post also noted Rubio missed a 2013 hearing on the War in Afghanistan and another 2013 hearing on Afghanistan and Pakistan.” [BuzzFeed, 4/13/15]

Marco Rubio was “notably absent” from a Senate meeting with top business leaders to put pressure on the House to pass immigration reform. “Sen. Marco Rubio played a crucial role in orchestrating passage of the bipartisan immigration overhaul in the Senate last month, but the Florida Republican and potential 2016 presidential contender has bowed out of the messy battle as it moves to the House. Key senators behind the immigration bill admonished top business leaders in a session at the Capitol this week to put more pressure on reluctant House Republicans, but Rubio was notably absent. The bill’s supporters were counting on his voice as a Latino and tea party favorite to help sell it to conservatives.” [Orlando Sentinel, 7/18/13]

Marco Rubio missed fully half of the committee hearings and meetings of the Senate Foreign Relations committee in 2014. “He began missing committee work, even on the subject he most identified with. In 2014, Rubio missed 34 of 68 committee hearings and meetings in the Foreign Relations committee, according to his office’s tally.” [Washington Post,10/25/15]

As a state legislator

Marco Rubio “appeared willing, his detractors said, to abandon the interests of his district if the end result was a political promotion for himself.” “And he appeared willing, his detractors said, to abandon the interests of his district if the end result was a political promotion for himself. His election to speaker was made possible, in part, because of a bargain he had made: In exchange for votes from northern Florida lawmakers, former legislators and aides said, he agreed not to fight a measure that increased money for school spending in less populated, rural regions of the state and reduced it in denser, high-cost areas like Miami. ‘He saw his path to be speaker, and it came at the expense of his constituents, literally,’ said Christian Ulvert, a Democratic strategist who worked as a legislative aide at the time.” [New York Times, 10/21/15]

Marco Rubio skipped a $310 million dollar vote in the Florida House of Representatives to attend a World Series game. “Hoping for a statewide economic revolution and a spate of high-wage jobs, the Florida Legislature late Thursday approved the offer of a whopping $310 million in incentives to bring a branch of a world-renowned biotech institute to Palm Beach County. […] Several South Florida legislators were absent for the vote, having flown out of Tallahassee on Thursday afternoon to catch Game 5 of the World Series matchup between the Florida Marlins and New York Yankees. Among them: House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican, who was invited to join the Marlins at their batting practice.” [Sun-Sentinel, 10/24/03]

As a West Miami City Commissioner

As a city commissioner, Marco Rubio “for the most part…looked bored.” “It was a time when an awkward sip of water wouldn’t go viral, as it did when Rubio delivered a nationally televised speech years later. In relative obscurity, he experimented with the occasional issue, such as how much residents should have to pay for government services, that would begin to define his ideology. He showed flashes of a thin skin. But, for the most part, he looked bored.” [Washington Post, 7/30/15]

Marco Rubio left his city commission job “less than halfway through his term.” “Rubio, now a 44-year-old U.S. senator, declined through a spokeswoman to be interviewed about his city commission experience. In his 307-page memoir, he devotes only one paragraph to his West Miami work and calls it ‘mostly uncontroversial.’ He left the job less than halfway through his term.” [Washington Post, 7/30/15]