New York Rep. Peter King endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president on Tuesday, citing his knowledge of foreign policy and recognizing the threat of terrorism.
"Republicans can't afford to forfeit this race to Hillary Clinton by nominating the wrong candidate," King said in a press release from the Rubio campaign. "I'm endorsing Marco Rubio because he has all the ingredients for a winning campaign: inspiration, judgment and vision."
King, former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Rubio "can be trusted to deliver real results once he is in office. Most important of all for me, Marco has a thorough knowledge of foreign policy and fully understands the true nature of the terrorist threat."
The press statement said King was joining "a wave of conservative leaders that understand that Marco is the right candidate to be commander-in-chief."
Rubio is still looking for a first-place finish after coming in third in Iowa and South Carolina, but has been gathering endorsements from elected GOP officials. More are likely to rally to him after the departure from the race of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Saturday.