U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio Wins Reelection Bid

MIAMI, FL — Republican Marco Rubio has retained his seat in the U.S. Senate, according to Tuesday's unofficial election results. The incumbent senator soundly beat challenger U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, to retain his seat.

Rubio began election season with his name out of the running for the senate seat he currently holds. Instead, he had a presidential run in mind. Those hopes, however, were dashed in the primaries when Rubio didn’t even manage to win his home state of Florida against Donald Trump. Rubio suspended his run for the White House after his March 15 defeat in the Florida Presidential Preference Primary.

While Rubio had said he didn’t intend to run to retain his seat in the senate, his mind changed in June, just before the qualifying deadline.

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Rubio issued a statement explaining his decision, citing a sense of duty and a desire to help the Republicans maintain control of the senate. He also expressed concerns about candidates in the presidential election.

"With Hillary Clinton, we would have four more years of the same failed economic policies that have left us with a stagnant economy," Rubio said.

Rubio’s last-minute decision to stay in the senate race was met with an exodus of fellow Republicans prior to the Aug. 31 statewide primary. Rubio defeated Manatee County builder Carlos Beruff to win his party’s nomination.

Murphy, the Democratic challenger, defeated U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson to win his party’s nomination. While he won with Democrats back in the August primaries, he couldn’t quite defeat Rubio in the final race.

Unofficial statewide polling results showed Rubio as the winner of the Nov. 8 contest with 51 percent of the vote to Murphy’s 44.6 percent. Results are not considered official until they are certified by the state.

Photo via of Marco Rubio’s Facebook page