Miami Herald denies Rubio, endorses Murphy

MIAMI – The Miami Herald’s editorial board cited a long list of grievances against native Sen. Marco Rubio in its endorsement of his opponent, Congressman Patrick Murphy, Wednesday.

The paper has a history of endorsing Rubio and the politician picked up a prized presidential endorsement from the Herald back in March while he was campaigning against Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. But the Herald’s editorial board decided that Rubio’s potential has fallen flat. And in its most damaging blow, the Miami Herald called attention to Rubio’s “sincerity and character.”

“First, he reneged on his unequivocal pledge not to run for re-election for a position he once openly disdained — but only after he lost his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to his nemesis, Donald Trump. Then he endorsed Mr. Trump, whom he called a con man during the campaign,” the endorsement reads.

With so much at stake for Republicans, who gained control of both houses of Congress in 2015, political analysts are looking closely at the consequences of a Trump endorsement for politicians who, like Rubio, face the risk of losing bids for re-election.

While some Republicans have been staunch in their disapproval, a sizable amount of others have dropped their support only to return to endorsing Donald Trump. Rubio has been in the “continued support” camp. But if a political endorsement from the largest paper in the state’s most populous county matters, Rubio’s continued support of Trump has not served him well. The Herald’s editorial board said it “reek(ed) of political convenience rather than political conviction.”

The GOP nominee’s “awful views on Mexicans, immigrants, Muslims, women, etc.” are not shared by Rubio, the board wrote. Then it flatly accused the young Republican of using the Pulse nightclub tragedy to further his political ambitions, though his record with the LGBT community is “disastrous.”

“He has a disastrous record as far as LGBT issues are concerned, opposing marriage equality and adoption by gay parents, and voting against giving LGBT Americans workplace protections,” the endorsement reads.

The Herald’s endorsement of Murphy comes after he participated in a debate with Rubio on Monday. The editorial board noted that he is a “relatively new Democrat” and that he has an “untested” record.