It's time for Marco Rubio to get out from under the radar and launch a full-fledged presidential campaign blitz.
That's the opinion of top political consultants, who tell
Politico the Florida senator's low-key approach to running for president and staying away from the fray as his competitors bellow and snipe at each other may not work much longer.
"If you are still standing in May, running smaller or leaner now is going to look very smart. If you are out, not so much," GOP consultant Chip Felkel of South Carolina told Politico.
"Rubio's team has prided themselves on this lean approach, and on their commitment to digital rather than boots on the ground.
"They are making a pretty gutsy bet that you don't need a presence anywhere except online. That may make your campaign more agile, sure, but I am not sure that equates to strength."
Politico's Alex Isenstadt and Glenn Thrush also spoke with two people familiar with the thinking of hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, who is known for generously funding super PACs.
The sources believe while Singer likes Rubio, he's not ready to hand over a large donation for a "shoestring" campaign run out of "a tatty Capitol Hill row house," Politico reports.
Rubio is also getting whacked with more criticism from his competitors as the race for the White House inches along.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's staff has labeled Rubio a "GOP Obama" and
Billionaire developer Donald Trump called him a "clown."
Rubio is also feeling the heat in the Sunshine State.
One of Florida's largest newspapers has called for Rubio's resignation from the Senate, saying that he's "ripping off" the state by staying there and not doing his job while he's running for the presidency.
"Rubio has missed more votes than any other senator this year,"
The Sun-Sentinel said in an op-ed piece. "His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he's MIA from his J-O-B because he finds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead."
And while Rubio insisted to
The Washington Post earlier this week that he doesn't "hate" being a senator, he told CNN he's "running for president so the votes they take in the Senate are actually meaningful again."
But Florida sent Rubio to Washington to represent the state, the Sun-Sentinel said, and the state has "serious problems with clogged highways, eroding beaches, flat Social Security checks and people who want to shut down the government."
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