AMAC survey surprise shows Rubio with big, early lead in possible 2016 GOP Presidential nomination

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb. 8, 2013 - BOHEMIA, NY, Feb 8 – “Older Americans apparently believe Marco Rubio has got what it takes to set things right when Obama leaves office in 2016,” according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

AMAC conducted a survey [www.amac.us/member-polls-archive] of members and visitors to its Web site this week and 49% of them [3,155 of the 6,438 respondents] chose Rubio from a field of 12 potential GOP Presidential Nominees three years hence.  Weber pointed out that Jeb Bush, former governor of Rubio’s home state of Florida, is considered an important rival for the top spot on the next Republican ticket, but noted that Bush garnered just 339 votes [5%] in the association’s survey.

Meanwhile, the “twitter world” was abuzz last week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Senate testimony on Benghazi with speculation on a face-off between Clinton and Rubio in the 2016 campaign.

One in-the-know “twitterer,” Weekly Standard columnist Steve Hayes posted this quick note: “Marco Rubio questioning HRC [Clinton]. His first year in Senate - head down, low-profile, hard work, policy focus - modeled on her first year.”

Republican strategist and CNN contributor Alex Castellanos said in a report after the hearing: "He [Marco Rubio] may not only compete in a general election, he may lead the nation someday. He has to demonstrate that he is a potential president and not a partisan politician. If you want to be president, you have to act like someone who could represent the entire nation."

Weber said that the AMAC survey mirrored other polls showing that Rubio tops Bush as a favorite by double-digit percentages, including a straw poll of 450 Washington State GOP leaders who gathered at Ocean Shores, WA last weekend.  Florida Senator Marco Rubio came in first in that survey.

The contenders in the association’s poll were Marco Rubio, with 49%, Paul Ryan, with 17%, Scott Walker, with 7%, Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum with 6% each, Jeb Bush, with 5%, Chris Christie, with 4%, Nikki Haley with 2%, and Bob McDonnell, John Thune, Mike Pence and Kelly Ayotte each with 1%.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Dan Weber is available for telephone interviews on this issue.  Editors/reporters may contact John Grimaldi at 917-846-8485 or jpgrimaldi@verizon.net to set up a chat.

ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital and conservative alternative to those organizations, such as AARP, that dominate the choices for mature Americans who want a say in the future of the nation.  Where those other organizations may boast of their power to set the agendas for their memberships, AMAC takes its marching orders from its members.  We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests, and offering a conservative insight on how to best solve the problems they face today.