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Fresh Squeezed Politics - March On Politics Blog

Rubio’s father dies

Posted Sep 4, 2010 by William March

Updated Sep 4, 2010 at 10:52 PM

Mario Rubio, father of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio, has died at age 83 of lung cancer and emphysema.

Marco Rubio’s campaign said his political activities “will be placed on temporary hold,” and the campaign “will resume our full schedule some time in the coming days.”

Rubio, a Republican, is seeking the Senate seat in a three-way race against Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek and no-party candidate Charlie Crist.

In a statement, the campaign said Mario Rubio died tonight at Baptist Hospital in Miami, surrounded by his wife of 61 years, Oria, and his children—Mario, Barbara, Marco and Veronica—and his extended family.

Mario Rubio was an important figure in the life of his son Marco, judging by his son’s frequent references to him and descriptions of him in his campaign speeches.

After bringing his family to the U.S. from Cuba following the revolution, Rubio worked as a bartender. Delivering speeches in hotel ballrooms, Marco Rubio would frequently point to beverage carts brought into the rooms as temporary bars and say, “My father worked behind a cart like that one, so that one day his children could stand up here behind the podium.”

In a statement from the campaign Marco Rubio said:

“My father knew hard work and struggle from very early in his life. His mother died when he was only 9 years old. The day after his mother was buried he went to work with his father and did not stop working until he was 78 years old.

“He was by far the most unselfish person I have ever known, always focused on others, and never on his own well being. He was especially determined to provide his children opportunities he himself never had.

“My dad worked as a street vendor, security guard, apartment building manager and crossing guard. But for most of his life he was a bartender, and by all accounts a great one. But his greatest success came from the two most important jobs he ever had: husband and father.

“He was very proud of my public service. And over the last 18 months he became an expert channel surfer, constantly searching for my next television interview.

“I was blessed to be raised by a world class father. And I thank God for allowing my father to live long and healthy enough to see that the sacrifices he made for us were not in vain.”

Rubio was to appear in a debate with Meek on Sunday morning’s Meet the Press on NBC, but cancelled because of his father’s illness. The debate has been postponed. Crist had said he wouldn’t participate in the debate because he wanted to attend Labor Day events in South Florida.

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