Rubio: 'We Cannot Have A Country Where Everybody Hates Each Other'

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is making a final push in Florida, where Donald Trump is polling 18.6 points ahead of him, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average. The Florida primary takes place on Tuesday, March 15.

“Tomorrow we have a chance to make a powerful statement to the country,” Rubio said at a coffee shop in Jacksonville. “The Republican Party is not going to allow itself to be hijacked by fake conservatives and people who go around dividing us against each other.”

Rubio is currently polling at 23.5 percent with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz following at 18.9; Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 9.5. Trump is at the front of the pack with 42.1 percent.

Rubio alluded to recent Trump rallies where a protester was sucker-punched by a Trump supporter and violence broke out at a rally in Chicago.

“We cannot have a country where everybody hates each other, where everyone’s at each other’s throat, where we can’t have an honest and serious debate about public policy without it resorting to name calling or worse, devolving into violence,” Rubio said.

In addition to Florida, Ohio’s primary election also takes place on Tuesday. Kasich has a slim lead in his home state with 36 percent. Trump is behind with 33.3, followed by Cruz with 20.3, according to the Real Clear Politics average.

“We are a country of people with a lot of different opinions. And we should continue to debate those opinions. And we should continue to argue over those opinions,” Rubio said.

In Ohio, Rubio is currently polling at 5.3 percent.