Marco Rubio continued to defend his missed votes in the Senate on Thursday, using the morning after a strong debate performance to argue that his spotty attendance record is all in the service of stopping Hillary Clinton from winning the White House.
“As far as votes, I don’t like missing votes, I hate it,” Rubio said on CNN. “We do our best effort to make it—we’ve canceled campaign events, especially for important votes, and we will definitely be there for any vote in which our vote would be decisive on making a difference on the outcome.”
“Here’s what I would hate more, and that is to wake up on the first Wednesday of November in 2016 to the news that Hillary Clinton has been elected President of the United States,” Rubio added.
Rubio has been on the defensive since a Florida newspaper called for his resignation because he had missed 59 Senate votes while running for president. Republican rival and fellow Floridian Jeb Bush picked up the attack line during Wednesday night’s debate, but Rubio swung back and was widely credited as having gotten the better of the exchange.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Kamala Harris Knocked Donald Trump Off Course
- Introducing TIME's 2024 Latino Leaders
- George Lopez Is Transforming Narratives With Comedy
- How to Make an Argument That’s Actually Persuasive
- What Makes a Friendship Last Forever?
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
- The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024
Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com