--- title: Marco Rubio Re-Election: He Will Reverse Decision description: The worst-kept secret in Washington is out: Sen. Marco Rubio will run for re-election. canonical: https://time.com/4378093/marco-rubio-reelection/ author: Will Drabold article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-22T14:23:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:52.664Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rubio Will Run for Senate Again og:description: The worst-kept secret in Washington is out. og:url: https://time.com/4378093/marco-rubio-reelection/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4386dcc3519f23/6988927df887dc0cb7e95c87/marco-rubio.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4411 og:image:height: 2481 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) Holds Rally In Pensacola, Florida og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rubio Will Run for Senate Again twitter:description: The worst-kept secret in Washington is out. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4386dcc3519f23/6988927df887dc0cb7e95c87/marco-rubio.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marco Rubio Will Run for Re-Election > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Will Drabold](https://time.com/author/will-drabold/) ## Will Drabold Jun 22, 2016 2:23 PM UTC  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to supporters at the Palafox Wharf on March 12, 2016 in Pensacola, Florida. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to supporters at the Palafox Wharf on March 12, 2016 in Pensacola, Florida. Mark Wallheiser—Getty Images by [Will Drabold](https://time.com/author/will-drabold/) ## Will Drabold Jun 22, 2016 2:23 PM UTC The worst-kept secret in Washington is out: Sen. Marco Rubio will run for re-election. The Florida Republican, one of the last Republican presidential candidates to drop out of this year’s primary, has reversed his earlier decision not to seek a second term, the Washington _Post_ [reported on Wednesday morning](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/06/22/marco-rubio-will-seek-senate-re-election-reversing-pledge-not-to-run/?hpid=hp%5Fhp-top-table-main%5Frubio-950a-top%3Ahomepage%2Fstory). A call to Rubio’s press office Wednesday morning went unanswered. The _Post_ reported Rubio will make his announcement sometime Wednesday. Mitch McConnell and other Republican Senate leaders said at a Tuesday press conference that they hoped Rubio would seek re-election. “Everybody realizes that it’s an important state and that Marco’s the best person to keep that state a Republican seat,” said John Thune, a senator from South Dakota and the number three Republican in the senate. “Many people are very fond of Marco on a personal level and would like to see him stay around the Senate.” Republicans had pressed Rubio to run, hoping he would help them hold onto a crucial Senate seat, but he’d previously been wary. A little more than a month ago, he [tweeted](https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/732401466066014209), “I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January.” While heading to the Senate on Tuesday, Rubio was asked if he would seek reelection as he walked into an elevator. He did not respond and grinned as the doors closed. Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee dubbed him “Little Marco” earlier this year, while Rubio made fun of Trump’s hands, a move he later said he regretted. But the two appear to have reconciled, as Trump recently tweeted that [Rubio should reverse course](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/736016335197458434?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) and run for reelection. Rubio’s campaign website, [marcorubio.com](https://marcorubio.com), was “under maintenance” as of Wednesday morning. ### Marco Rubio's Life in Pictures  Marco Rubio and his father outside his parents first home in Miami, Fla., 1972. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Marco Rubio in 6th grade. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Marco Rubio during the Southern Nevada youth football conference, Yesco Cavaliers in Las Vegas, Nev., 1982 Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  High school photograph of Marco Rubio from his 1989 yearbook. Courtesy South Miami Senior High School  South Miami Senior High yearbook photo of Marco Rubio in 1989. Courtesy South Miami Senior High School  From right Marco Rubio with his mother and sister Veronica during his graduation from the University of Miami law school in 1996\. Veronica graduated from Florida international university bachelor’s degree. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Marco Rubio with his wife, Jeanette and his parents on his wedding day on Oct. 17, 1998. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Jeanette Rubio and Marco Rubio holding their youngest child Amanda Rubio in 2000. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Then representative Marco Rubio talks with a colleague during House session in Tallahassee, Fla., on April 1, 2004\. At age 32, Rubio was one of the youngest legislators. Phil Coale—AP  Marco Rubio greets Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, on his way to being sworn in as the new speaker of the Florida House in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 21, 2006. Steve Cannon—AP  Vice President Joe Biden swears in Senator Marco Rubio to the U.S. Senate, as his wife, Jeanette Rubio looks on, in Washington, on Jan. 5, 2010 . Mary F. Calvert—MCT/Getty Images  Marco Rubio with his son, Anthony Rubio, father, Mario Rubio and daughter Amanda Rubio as he signs election documents officially qualifying him as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Miami, Fla., on April 27, 2010. Joe Raedle—Getty Images  From left, Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek greet each other before the start of their debate at the studios of WESH-TV in Winter Park, Fla., on Oct. 26, 2010. Joe Burbank—MCT/Getty Images  Then Florida Republican U.S. Senate nominee Marco Rubio celebrates with his family after winning the election in Coral Gables, Fla., on Nov. 2, 2010. Mike Stocker—MCT/Getty Images  Marco Rubio and his sons Anthony, 5, right, and Dominic, 3, make their way to a swearing in ceremony for the 112th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber in Washington on Jan. 5, 2011. Tom Williams—Roll Call/Getty Images  Senator Marco Rubio during a visit to the El Paso sector of the United States/Mexico border on Nov. 4, 2011. Courtesy Senator Marco Rubio  Senator Marco Rubio greets fans and signs copies of his book "An American Son" at Books and Books in Coral Gables, Fla., on June 30, 2012. Aaron Davidson—Getty Images  Former Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks with Senator Marco Rubio while flying from Pensacola to Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 27, 2012. Emmanuel Dunand—AFP/Getty Images  Senator Marco Rubio listens to a question alongside Senator John McCain, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Robert Menendez and Senator Dick Durbin during a press conference on an agreement for principles on comprehensive immigration reform framework at the US Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 28, 2013. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4378093/marco-rubio-reelection/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4378093/marco-rubio-reelection/"},"headline":"Marco Rubio Will Run for Re-Election","datePublished":"2016-06-22T14:23:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:43:52.664Z","description":"The worst-kept secret in Washington is out: Sen. Marco Rubio will run for re-election.","url":"https://time.com/4378093/marco-rubio-reelection/","keywords":["Congress","2016 Election","Sen. 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