Politics

Rep. Markwayne Mullin endorses Sen. Marco Rubio for president

Monday, November 23, 2015

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), a 2016 presidential candidate, on the campaign trail. Photo from Facebook

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is placing his 2016 election bets on a fellow Capitol Hill colleague.

Mullin endorsed Marco Rubio on Friday. He said the Republican Senator from Florida is the best candidate to keep America "safe" from "serious threats."

“I have always been clear that the person I will support for president must be a true leader — someone who can unite our country and move our nation forward," Mullin said in a press release. "I believe Marco Rubio is that person."

Rubio is serving his first term in the Senate. He doesn't have much of a record on Indian issues even though Florida is home to two prominent, politically active tribes -- the Miccosukee Tribe and the Seminole Tribe.

But Rubio does have one big mark against him. In Febuary 2013, he voted against S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act that includes landmark provisions that recognize tribal authority over certain non-Indian offenders.

Mullin is one of only two enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe in Congress. The other -- Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation -- has not revealed his 2016 endorsement.

Get the Story:
Markwayne Mullin endorses Rubio (The Oklahoman 11/20)
Rubio lands another lawmaker endorsement (The Hill 11/20)