Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida says that while he believes the Republican Party should pick a nominee for president, "the sooner the better," he is unconcerned about a long GOP primary hurting the party's chances in November.

"We're all impatient. We all want to know who the nominee is so we can get to work," Rubio said in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. "So, certainly, yeah, the sooner the better. But I'm not concerned. This is the process and the process will work its way through."

The state's junior senator says he doesn't believe any candidate should drop out prematurely, when asked whether Newt Gingrich should quit the race after a tough Super Tuesday.

 "I don't think anybody should be told to drop out," the Miami-born Rubio, 40, said. "I think people should run until they feel that either they don't want to continue or they don't see a path to victory."

Rubio has no plans to endorse in the Republican primary but won't rule it out, he told the Tampa Bay Times.

A rising star in the Republican Party, Rubio will almost certainly be on the list of potential Republican nominees for vice president.

As he has in the past, though, Rubio said is not campaigning for it. "I'm not going to be the vice president," Rubio said.