Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is proposing a rebrand of the Republican Party that better connects with “multiethnic, multiracial, working class” voters.
The senator’s comments, made in an interview with Axios, prompted Intercept reporter Murtaza Hussain to quip that “Marco Rubio is joining The Squad.”
Two of the members of the so-called “Squad” of progressive House Democrats, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were quick to provide the group’s thoughts on that proposal:
Rubio, who was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries and has since been a staunch ally to the president, told Axios that Republicans need to rebrand their party as champions of working-class voters and move away from its traditional embrace of big businesses, which he said those voters are largely against.
His analysis comes in the wake of Trump’s projected loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Rubio said he was not ruling out a 2024 presidential run.
The four members of the “Squad” ― Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan ― have championed progressive policy proposals, such as “Medicare for All,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, increasing the top marginal tax rate and canceling student debt. All four women won reelection last week.