Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks to guests gathered at the Point of Grace Church for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Spring Kickoff on April 25, 2015, in Waukee. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
DES MOINES — On his inaugural 2016 campaign swing through the Hawkeye State, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Saturday leaned heavily on personal history while pitching conservative activists and voters on a message centered on the need for generational change in Washington — eliciting comparisons to President Obama along the way.
“This may be horrible to say as a Republican, but he really is the Republican Obama,” said former state senator Jeff Angelo, 50. “There are a lot of candidates who are likable, but Marco Rubio is inspirational.”
On Saturday, the senator delivered remarks at a house party — an “ice cream social” hosted by Iowa state Sen. Jack Whitver in Ankeny — before working the eager crowd of 150 by paying informal visits, posing for selfies and signing copies of his book, "American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone."
It has been "a lot of fun — just meeting people, interacting. It takes me back to running for state representative and city commissioner,” Rubio told reporters Saturday afternoon as he left the event. “This is how we did it, house by house.”
Asked whether he thought the event went well, he deadpanned: “Maybe. Or maybe they just wanted ice cream."
While the Obama comparisons are intended as a compliment, they also present a double-edged sword for Rubio, who critics say is too inexperienced to assume the presidency. (That is a not-so-indirect barb at the president himself, who was serving his first term in the Senate when he was elected.)
Perhaps anticipating those criticisms from his would-be primary rivals, Rubio came out swinging during a conversation with the Des Moines Register's editorial board Saturday, suggesting that the governors in the race lack sufficient foreign policy experience to be president.
"Governors can certainly read about foreign policy in briefings, and meet with experts, but there is no way they'll be ready on day one to manage U.S. foreign policy because the learning curve alone would take a number of years, and you see that reflected in the history of the presidency," Rubio told the paper, emphasizing his own work on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees.
Although Rubio didn't mention any names specifically, it's hard to overlook that former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov.r Scott Walker are currently seen as Rubio's top-tier competition for the nomination. Neither Bush nor Walker have formally entered the 2016 race, but their candidacies are considered all but certain.
"It's an uphill battle for Rubio in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, where he will need to assert his conservative bona fides to voters, leaders and activists if he wants to play competitively against a crowded field of GOP primary candidates — many of whom have deep ties with social conservatives in the state. And he already faces some obstacles, most notably, his role in passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill detested by conservatives through the Senate in 2013.
“These Iowa voters are going to take time to study all the candidates before they make a decision who they’re going to caucus for. We have to earn their support,” Rubio said when asked about his odds. “We know that they’ve been through this before, they’ve met other candidates, they’ll meet other candidates. We’re going to take it seriously.”
And by the looks of it, he means it — as The Post's Sean Sullivan has reported, Rubio's team includes political operatives who helped elect upstart Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) last year. In addition to his public events and his sit-down with the Des Moines Register, Rubio met with local business and political leaders, according to a campaign spokesperson.
On his initial campaign visit, voters were skeptical but receptive. Angelo — who has not decided to support any official or yet-unofficial 2016 candidates — stressed that, despite hurdles that Rubio may face among social conservatives, the senator has a considerable runway to introduce himself to caucus-goers.
“I think 55 percent of Iowa voters will walk into an event with an open mind. Iowa does create that opportunity,” Angelo said. “I love to kick the tires. Why commit? We can run around, hear what they have to say and see how they develop as candidates."
In a speech Saturday evening speech to 1,200 social conservatives at the Point of Grace mega-church in Waukee — which featured eight other potential GOP candidates — Rubio stressed his belief that church communities play a central role in strengthening families. He also asserted that he remains committed to a traditional definition of marriage and that supporting a comprehensive immigration reform plan was a misstep.
But the most noteworthy parts of his speech came when he dived into his personal background, using the stump line that played a prominent role in his announcement speech.
Rubio's grandfather "taught me that I was blessed and privileged to be a citizen of the one place on Earth where even the son of a bartender and a maid could have the same dreams and the same future as the children of millionaires and people that were politically connected,” he said.
Many caucus-goers said Saturday that they're interested in what he has to say but that they don't plan on throwing their support behind him, or any other candidate, anytime soon.
“He’s an articulate, impressive and thoughtful guy,” said Grant Kimberley, 39, of Ankeny. “He represents a younger generation. That really sets him apart. That’s his brand; he’s an up-and-comer. He’s passionate, and he represents a broader reach for the GOP.”
Jose A. DelReal covers national politics for The Washington Post.
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