PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Sen. Marco Rubio is seeking a second term in office, but not if U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy has anything to do about it. The Democratic challenger is vying to unseat Rubio in next month's election.
During a recent campaign stop in South Florida, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton praised Murphy and said she hopes he becomes the next senator from Florida.
Murphy has been critical of Rubio's voting record in the Senate.
"Sen. Marco Rubio has the worst voting record of any senator from Florida in almost 50 years," Murphy said.
Rubio's voting record was a bulls eye when he was running for president, and he has openly expressed his frustration with the Senate.
"That's one of the frustrating aspects about this place, is the political theater aspect of these debates," Rubio said.
As Rubio seeks a second term, voters seem to like what they see. Rubio has led consistently in the polls.
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll gives Rubio a slight lead with 48 percent of the vote to Murphy's 46 percent.
Murphy said he remains confident that, with his message, "not only are we going to win, we're going to win convincingly."
Murphy's chances depend to a large degree on how Clinton fares in Florida. If she wins, his chances improve.
Rubio's chances depend on voters splitting their ticket, possibly voting for Clinton but also for him.
Rubio blasted Republican presidential nominee Trump for his lewd comments about women, but he didn't renounce his support.
"When Donald Trump goes low, Marco Rubio is right there with him," Murphy said.
Rubio said he disagrees with Trump "on more issues" than most Republican nominees.
"But, by the same token, I disagree with Hillary Clinton on virtually every issue," Rubio said.
Rubio and Murphy will meet in their first debate Monday night. With his extensive debate experience from the presidential primary elections, Rubio will likely have an edge.