Rubio: I Won’t Be Vice-Presidential Nominee

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he has no interest in running for national office at this time — be it as a presidential candidate — or on a GOP ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. In his first television interview since being elected, Rubio said on Fox News Tuesday, the Sunshine State “deserves to have a full-time senator,” and he is focusing on the job at hand — to make America financially solvent and create jobs.

“The reality of it is, I have a pretty important job right now,” Rubio told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “Being in the United States Senate is an important job, and it needs to be done well, and that’s what I am focused on — because that’s what I ran for. I ran because I wanted to have this opportunity to . . . get involved in some of these issues that we’re facing.”

Hannity asked Rubio whether he would rule out being a running mate on a GOP presidential ticket. The tea party favorite said his focal point was on being a senator.

“I’m not going to be the vice-presidential nominee,” Rubio said. “I’m focused on this. And it’s important that I have that attitude, too, because otherwise, I won’t be able to do this job well.

“I really believe that . . . if you’re focused on anything other than doing your job, you are not going to do your job well,” he said. “And the job I have is an important one — and Florida deserves to have a full-time senator, and that’s what I want to be.”

Rubio said he wants to be able to fight government policies that are “standing in the way” of Americans getting jobs.

“Government policies like runaway regulations, and unpredictable and high taxes that discourage job creation — you know, these regulatory agencies that are tormenting job creators across America,” he continued. “And a government that spends more money than it takes in — continually spends money that it doesn’t have, borrowing $4 billion a day, half of it from foreigners — most of it from the Chinese.

“We cannot continue on this road — yes, we can continue to be the greatest country in the history of the world, but there are some things we need to deal with, and we are running out of time to deal with them,” Rubio added.

Hannity noted that Rubio has said he would only vote to increase the debt limit under certain conditions and asked him what they were. Rubio had a list ready.

“Well, first of all — it’s got to be the last time we ever do it,” Rubio said. “Number two: There has to be meaningful tax reform; number three: there has to be meaningful regulatory reform — we can’t continue to allow these regulatory agencies to torment job creators; number four: we need a balanced-budget amendment; number five: we need spending caps; number six: we need to use the debt limit itself, to ensure that America’s debt limit begins to decline.

“These are the kinds of things I hope we will focus on.”