Darrell Issa Suggests Brokered Convention for Rubio Even if He Doesn’t Win Florida

Rubio advocate and Congressman Darrell Issa appeared on Fox News Saturday afternoon lobbying 2016 presidential candidate Marco Rubio to stay in the race even if he doesn’t win the candidate’s home state of Florida and look toward the possibility of a brokered convention.

Issa joined the program from the SXSW (South by Southwest) music and film festival making the case that Rubio will outperform poll results in Florida. The congressman labeled himself a historian and referenced the Abraham Lincoln brokered convention.

Issa encouraged Rubio to continue his campaign even if he doesn’t win Florida, alluding to hopes of anointing the establishment pick in the case of a brokered convention.

The end of this debate when we get to Cleveland, it may be necessary for all delegates who can’t get their candidate a majority, to figure out which candidate can bring us together, reunite the party and reunite America. And after all when we as Republicans meet in Cleveland, we’re not just trying to pick somebody to be our nominee or even somebody to be a President. We want somebody to ignite the country, not just the Republican Party.

Congressman Issa said of polling in Florida that Rubio wouldn’t be down in the polls if the media wasn’t pushing down his candidate:

Will the early polling or the early results actually end up being the result and one of the challenges is if you keep hearing that your candidate is beyond possible winning eventually you create that. As you know CNN put out this false rumor that they were considering pulling out. All of that works against the candidate that I believe in and I believe in him today more than ever because Marco has been positive, inspirational, he’s been about uniting our country. If you will, taking a bad situation and making it better rather than candidates, quite frankly on both sides, who have been trying to play on people’s feelings. I think the people of Florida who have elected  Marco Rubio in every single one of his elections up to Speaker of the [Florida] House [of Representatives] and obviously Senate.

Issa continued pushing the idea that despite polls, Florida will back his man Rubio:

I think they’re gonna, they’re gonna back him, but uh the polls wouldn’t indicate it, but the exit polls do. I think that’s very telling of how people actually vote when they consider that your choice is vote for Marco or Donald Trump will win this and probably become the nominee and I think that’s not necessarily where Florida wants to be.

Issa was asked about Trump’s accusations of voter fraud against Rubio in Florida and if the “fix” is in.

Here are Trump’s tweets accusing Rubio of voter fraud:

Issa relayed that he was in the audience for CNN’s GOP debate in Miami, Florida. He recalled accusing Trump of not understanding Cuba issues or relationship with Israel in comments on the debate. He said he gots hundreds of “angry” calls to his congressional office in response his comments from people backing Trump.

Promoting anger, that kind of discussion talking about voter fraud, the U.S. Senator doesn’t have any ability to be involved in that and there’s no reason to believe it, but that kind of discussion is exactly the reason that so many of us have doubts about Donald Trump being the right choice.

Issa said that his candidate Rubio “doesn’t say those kinds of things.”

Rubio has previously made jokes about Trump’s tan and implied jokes about the size of Trump’s genitalia. Trump has adopted the nickname “little Marco” for Rubio. Rubio later apologized for his crude and insulting remarks. Rubio has also been pushing the message the Trump is a “fraud” and a “con artist.”

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana

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