And speaking to some audience members who were listening, the pitch worked.
“I’m very taken with him,” said Anthony Gioia, an ambassador under George W. Bush and a major GOP fundraiser who supported Mitt Romney in 2012.
Convincing his financial backers that he has the campaign organization to launch a 2016 bid at a moment’s notice is important as Rubio’s would-be primary challengers have been more public and direct about their intentions for weeks now. While the freshman Florida senator gathered donors and staff at the posh Delano hotel, at least 10 Republican hopefuls were addressing potential Iowa caucus-goers and former governors Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney criss-crossed the country meeting with voters and Republican officials.
Back in Miami, Gioia said that while he hasn’t decided who to support in the GOP primary, he was impressed by Rubio’s command of the foreign policy challenges facing the nation and, in particular, the senator’s charisma and compelling personal story.
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Gioia, who’s hosted fundraising dinners at his home that have netted candidates upwards of a million dollars, said he has yet to decide which Republican to support. But between Rubio and Bush, the younger senator may have won his heart.
“I’m certainly leaning very heavily towards Marco, or possibly Jeb — but I really like Marco. He’s a really talented guy,” Gioia said.
“He’s got a good inner self too. He’s comfortable in his own skin,” he added.
