State of the Race in Florida, According to Marco Rubio
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is optimistic about Mitt Romney's chances against President Obama in the state, telling reporters today: "I'd rather be us than them."
"You look at - you compare what is going on on the ground today to 2008 - it's not even comparable in terms of the work that we're doing on the ground here in Florida," said Rubio, venturing back to the press cabin on Romney's campaign plane flying from the Pensacola to Orlando for the last three stops on Romney's Florida campaign swing. "And of course, you've seen the public polling - and everything I've seen confirms - I think we have enthusiasm on our side, and the best way to put it is, in Florida, I'd rather be us than them."
Recent polls show a tight race between Romney and Obama in the Sunshine State, which Obama won by a narrow margin in the 2008 election.
According to the Republican National Committee and the Romney campaign, 900,000 voter contacts were made in Florida alone last week and five times more phone calls and 47 more door knocks have been executed this cycle than at this time during the last election.
Rubio stopped short of predicting a landslide victory for Romney, saying, "I don't know if anyone wins Florida big," but seemed pleased with the amount of time Romney has spent campaigning in the state.
According to records kept by ABC News, Romney has held more than 39 campaign events in the Sunshine State since the beginning of the year and has spent 16 days here since April. The only other swings state that rivals Florida for Romney's attention is Ohio - where Romney has spent 19 days in the same time frame.
But Rubio said he understands Florida and Ohio are "both important."
"That's why they have this plane, so they can get there and here," Rubio joked. "You know, they are both important obviously. But I feel great about Florida. I do.
"I mean, we've got to finish the job. We're ahead. It's the fourth quarter," he said. "We're getting close to the two-minute warning. But we've got to win the game. We've got to finish the game out."