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MIAMI --

Standing in front of a banner that proclaimed "A New American Century" and repeating that refrain throughout his kickoff speech, the 43-year-old Cuban-American used his first turn as a Republican presidential candidate to take on two of America's political dynasties. In doing so, he bet heavily on the electorate's frustrations with Washington and his ability to change how his party is seen by voters.

"This election is not just about what laws we are going to pass," Rubio told his evening rally. "It is a generational choice about what kind of country we will be."

He said it's also a choice between the haves and have-nots, nodding to his own upbringing by working-class parents. "I live an exceptional country where the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege."

Earlier in the day, the first-term Republican from Florida spoke to his top donors and told them many families feel the American Dream is slipping away and young Americans face unequal opportunities. He's banking on the hope that he, alone among many GOP rivals, can make inroads with groups that have long eluded Republicans - young people, minorities and the less affluent.

"I feel uniquely qualified to not just make that argument, but to outline the policies that we need to have in order to achieve it," he said on the donor call.

In his televised speech, he told supporters, "The time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American century."

Rubio's remarks came as Clinton was traveling to Iowa on her first trip as a candidate. Her entrance into the race with an online video Sunday is robbing some attention from Rubio's splash into the race.

But Rubio saw an opportunity to cast the presidential contest as one between a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership and familiar faces harking back decades - namely, the 62-year-old Bush and the 67-year-old Clinton.

"While our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century," Rubio said to applause.

Read more:
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tells donors he is running for president

Washington If MarcoRubiolaunches his presidential campaign as expected Monday, the first-term Republican senator from Florida may have to answer this simple question. Why now?

The 43-year-oldRubio, a rising star on Capitol Hill, could wait four more years, even eight, and still be a relatively young candidate.

Some party officials want him to run for governor or try to hold his Senate seat, which could be crucial to continued Republican control of the chamber. By training his sights on the White House,Rubioalso sets up a head-to-head competition with Jeb Bush, a mentor with whom he has many overlapping supporters.

Rubiowas expected to announce his candidacy Monday in his hometown of Miami, which would put him in the shadow of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's highly anticipated announcement Sunday of a second White House run in a bid to become the first female U.S. president.Rubio, a Cuban-American, could make history too by being the first Hispanic president.

The window to run for president can close as quickly as it opens.

Then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois seized an opportunity in 2008 and won. Donors clamored for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run in 2012, but he declined and now heads into the 2016 campaign in a decidedly weaker position.

"There's no telling that (Rubio's) opportunity will be better four or eight years from now," said Fergus Cullen, the former New Hampshire Republican chairman who is yet to throw his support behind a candidate.

Rubio'sadvisers know all about the fickle preferences of the electorate.Rubiowas a beneficiary of the 2010 tea party wave that swept dozens of conservative lawmakers into Congress just two years after Obama and Democrats won big.

ButRubio'steam sees an opportunity to answer the "why now" question and argue the country's pressing problems require a new generation of leaders, not a return to the 1990s.

Rubiois about to step into a field that is shaping up to be crowded and competitive.

Read the original:
Rubio seeks opening in 2016 Republican field

Susan Walsh/AP Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus stands on stage at the Republican National Committee winter meeting in Washington, Friday, Jan. 24, 2014.

The deluge of derision this weekend from Republicans responding to Hillary Rodham Clintons presidential launch is the start of a highly coordinated effort by national GOP leaders and conservative groups to effectively begin the general-election campaign against the likely Democratic nominee.

Acknowledging Clintons political strength, many Republican officials and strategists on the right are determined to get a head start on attacking her record as secretary of state and highlighting what they see as her vulnerabilities, almost ignoring her lesser-known rivals.

The early onslaught a battery of opposition research, snarky videos and even an upcoming feature film reflects Republicans desire to use a common opponent to unite their ranks, which have fractured as the GOP has stumbled in the past two presidential elections.

Clintons 2016 Republican challengers, some appearing Friday at the National Rifle Associations convention in Tennessee, also assailed the Democratic front-runner in speeches and interviews ahead of her entry, which her advisers said would come Sunday with a low-key rollout.

The barrage has a familiar feel. More than 14 years after Bill Clinton left the White House, Republicans are stepping back onto a battlefield in which they have toiled for decades, reviving Clinton controversies old and new as they seek to counter the formal return of a longtime adversary to presidential politics.

Reince Priebus, the combative chairman of the Republican National Committee who has become the partys most prominent Clinton critic, is leading the blitz. In recent days, the RNC has heavily promoted its Stop Hillary initiative with a Web ad that raises questions about foreign donations to her familys foundation and her use of a private e-mail account at the State Department.

Priebus who habitually describes Clinton as a cold, Nixonian liberal millionaire has approved a six-figure advertising campaign targeting voters in swing states, according to Allison Moore, a spokeswoman for the RNC.

But a galaxy of other conservative power brokers, rabble-rousers and advocacy organizations is involved, including right-wing Web sites and super PACs that can accept millions of dollars, without limits, from the partys biggest donors.

GOP consultant Roger J. Stone, in an interview Saturday, said he is finishing a book tentatively titled The Clintons War on Women and expected out this summer about the Clintons handling of episodes that have clouded Bill Clintons personal life.

See the original post:
For GOP, 'Stop Hillary' campaign begins in earnest

NASHVILLE An invigorated National Rifle Association tested the mettle of potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls and ramped up for an expected battle against Hillary Rodham Clinton though the gun rights group said it also will keep a watchful eye during President Obamas final years in office.

And in speeches at the NRAs annual convention this weekend, the candidates did their best to fire up the attendees.

We are at war. This is not a time of peace, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told the crowd. My goal is to make sure that we go after those bastards that are trying to kill us and everybody like us, and make sure they feel the wrath of this country that we dig them out and we kill them, because there is no other substitute.

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Gun rights supporters will be able to pick from a host of Republican candidates, who all vowed to be vigilant against encroachment on the Second Amendment. They also were unified in decrying Mr. Obamas performance, both domestically and in managing overseas conflicts.

We need a president who will be straight up with the American people, and look them in the eye, and tell them, It is not a matter of if, it is when they [make] another attempt on American soil, and, for the sake of my children and yours, I am not going to wait. I am going to take the fight to them before they bring the fight to us, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told the crowd Friday during the NRA-hosted leadership forum.

The candidates focused on Mr. Obama, but NRA officials made clear theyre already casting an eye beyond the current administration and see Mrs. Clinton as a continuation of Mr. Obama.

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NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre set the tone early.

Is the Obama-Clinton foreign policy that has led to the surrender of ground gained by our brave men and women in the military, that has led to the collapse of morale among the [military] ranks and has reached the point where they refused to even acknowledge who our enemies are or how victory can be defined is that legacy of failure really the best America can do? Mr. LaPierre said Friday, eliciting cries of No! from the crowd. The Obama-Clinton policies demean our U.S. military and represent the very worst of leadership.

Link:
NRA convention: 2016 Republican hopefuls vow to defend gun rights, slam Obama, Clinton

Florida Senator Marco Rubio speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Maryland, February 27, 2015. Rubio is set to announce his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on Monday. Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

WASHINGTON If Marco Rubio launches his presidential campaign as expected Monday, the first-term Republican senator from Florida may have to answer this simple question. Why now?

The 43-year-old Rubio, a rising star on Capitol Hill, could wait four more years, even eight, and still be a relatively young candidate.

Some party officials want him run for governor or try to hold his Senate seat, which could be crucial to continued GOP control of the chamber. By training his sights on the White House, Rubio also sets up a head-to-head competition with Jeb Bush, a mentor with whom he has many overlapping supporters.

But the window to run for president can close as quickly as it opens.

Then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois seized an opportunity in 2008 and won. Donors clamored for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run in 2012, but he declined and now heads into the 2016 campaign in a decidedly weaker position.

Theres no telling that (Rubios) opportunity will be better four or eight years from now, said Fergus Cullen, the former New Hampshire Republican chairman who is yet to throw his support behind a candidate.

Rubios advisers know all about the fickle preferences of the electorate. Rubio was a beneficiary of the 2010 tea party wave that swept dozens of conservative lawmakers into Congress just two years after Obama and Democrats won big.

Rubio was expected to announce his candidacy Monday in his hometown of Miami, which would put him in the shadow of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clintons highly anticipated announcement Sunday of a second White House run.

But Rubios team sees an opportunity to answer the why now question and argue the countrys pressing problems require a new generation of leaders, not a return to the 1990s.

Originally posted here:
Rubio weighs how to position himself in 2016 Republican race