Bloomberg: Marco Rubio’s Past Immigration Efforts Haunt Presidential Ambitions

Bloomberg observes that Sen. Marco Rubio’s support for immigration reform is dogging his presidential campaign. 

For many Republicans, Marco Rubio’s attempt to push immigration reform through Congress is a blemish on an otherwise sterling set of conservative credentials. And if recent barbs from influential movement conservatives and Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump are any indication, it may be the tallest barrier between the Florida senator and the presidential nomination.

After three strong debate performances and an endorsement from pro-immigrationRepublican billionaire Paul Singer, Rubio, the hard-charging son of Cuban immigrants, is receiving fresh scrutiny for his co-authorship of the ill-fated 2013 overhaul that would have created a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. The ascent of Representative Paul Ryan, who also supports immigration reform, to House speaker last week has prompted a resurgence of fears on the right about “amnesty” if a pro-immigration figure like Rubio or Jeb Bush wins the White House.

“Rubio’s role as [Democratic Senator] Chuck Schumer’s frontman for the Gang of Eight bill should come under scrutiny,” said Mark Krikorian, an activist for more restrictive immigration policies. “There are a lot of conservatives who want to like Rubio. His task is to give them a way to forgive him, and I don’t think he’s really done that yet.”

Read the whole piece.