Rubio: Brokered Convention 'Not a Backroom Deal'

(Fox News/"Fox & Friends")

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 04 March 2016 10:19 AM EST

A brokered GOP convention would not mean a backroom deal, and Marco Rubio said Friday that he expects a consolidation behind "someone not named Donald Trump," and that he will be that person.

"Brokered convention insinuates that we'll have this backroom deal with someone who is not on the ballot will get dropped in," the Florida senator told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.

"I do not support a back room deal at the convention either. That's why you have delegates, that's why you have a convention."

But it's possible that nobody will have the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the GOP presidential nomination, Rubio said, adding that he expects Republicans to eventually unify and support his campaign.

"I am looking forward to that happening," he said. "It will be a lot of work. I'm not a front-runner, I'm an underdog, but I always have been an underdog and I relish that role because I think America is a country of underdogs."

Meanwhile, at Thursday night's debate, Rubio said, Trump would not answer policy positions, and "he can never unite our party . . . That's why I'm asking everyone to unite behind our campaign to bring everyone together."

He continued that even though his campaign is behind, "we're picking up a significant number of delegates," and as there is about a 100-delegate difference, the difference could come with the delegates from just one state, "if it's the right state like Florida," which Rubio expects to take as his home state.

"This is the most unusual election we have had in my lifetime," said Rubio. "No one here at this point has a clear path to the number of delegates necessary to be the nominee and we'll have to see how this works through.

"I can just tell you that of all the people left in this race, I know that I'm the only one that can bring the party together and I'm the only one that can grow it. And grow the conservative movement. I know Trump can't do that. I don't believe Ted [Cruz] can do that."