We Will Not Be Free of Marco Rubio

After being decimated in the Republican primaries by Donald Trump, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was reelected to a second term on Tuesday by defeating Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy.

Former presidential candidate Rubio dropped out of the GOP primary in March -- he lost his own state by nearly 20 percentage points -- and the next month said he was leaving the Senate. He abruptly changed his mind in late June, days after the mass shooting at Pulse, an LGBT nightclub in Orlando. He'd been interviewed by The Advocate in the aftermath and said "I don't need investigators to tell me the gay community was targeted in this attack."

Two months after the Pulse massacre, where 49 lives were lost, Rubio appeared at the The American Renewal Project two-day event in Orlando -- a notoriously homophobic and transphobic gathering. While Rubio spoke to the evangelical audience about compassion toward LGBT "neighbors," he was blasted as a hypocrite by Nadine Smith of Equality Florida, since the senator opposes anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT people from being fired or evicted and supports a federal law allowing businessowners to turn away queer patrons under the guise of "religious liberty." Rubio also opposes marriage equality and adoption of children by LGBT adults.

Trending stories

Out and About with Christian Cooper

26 LGBTQ+ movies & TV shows coming in June 2025 — and where to watch them

Rising star LAVERN says LGBTQ+ ravers 'bring the fire' ahead of EDC performance

Why aren't more gay male bestsellers written by gay men?  (And does it matter?)

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

'King of Drag's Tenderoni teases game-changing show: 'We exist and we're not going anywhere'

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

Mistress Isabelle Brooks on snatching points & wigs: 'I'm your favorite villain'

Paris Hilton is bringing her pop stardom to WeHo Pride and WorldPride

HRC holds 'die-in' to protest Trump health care cuts

More than a stay: Airbnb’s latest release is built for the way we travel today

Grindr is reminding us why jockstraps are so sexy and iconic

Reneé Rapp claps back at critics of her coming-out journey

Wilderness, woods, and Wigstock: Drag icons light up the Catskills

500,000 Children at Risk: PEPFAR Funding Crisis

What is 'limerence' and why are lesbians and sapphics talking about it?

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Gays went feral at an iconic Pride celebration in Pensacola, Florida

Rachel Levine fought HIV & STIs at HHS. Now she’s speaking out because that progress is being undone

How 2025's brightest LGBTQ+ grads hope to change the world

'Survivor' winner goes viral with Gaga video & the gays are losing it

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

Two right-wing Supreme Court justices signal they may uphold access to PrEP and more

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

Your guide to all things Pride 2025, from survival tips to the hottest events & more!

• 0
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8

Even though Trump mocked Rubio by calling him "Little Marco," the Florida senator eventually endorsed the bombastic businessman for president. Rubio, born in Miami to Cuban-American parents, did not often mention Trump's name when he campaigned for reelection, which may have saved his hide with some Latino voters.

Rubio, 45, was able to paint challenger Murphy -- a 33-year-old congressman representing south Florida -- as inexperienced. Murphy, meanhwile, worked to remind voters of Rubio's abseentism in Congress, something the senator was often taken to task by in the primaries.