RUBIO – AT 8:36 A.M. ET:  Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was down for a time because of his controversial views on immigration reform, but he's clearly making a comeback.  And most pundits have him back on the presidential possibility list.  He's sure acting that way.  From The Hill:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) indicated Wednesday that he may not seek to return to the Senate if he decided to mount a presidential campaign in 2016.

During an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Rubio said he agreed that Florida law was right to prevent candidates from seeking multiple offices.

"I think that's the right law," Rubio said.

Hewitt then asked the Florida lawmaker if it would be "okay for you to seek the presidency, [and] if it didn’t work out, then switch back to the Senate."

Rubio appeared to indicate that he would not look to return to Congress if he failed in a bid for the Republican nomination.

"You know, I think by and large, when you choose to do something as big as that, you’ve really got to be focused on that and not have an exit strategy," Rubio said.

Rubio was first eleced to the Senate in 2010 and his tem is up at the end of 2016.

Many states allow candidates to run both for Congress and higher office. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) was reelected to the Senate despite losing his vice-presidential bid in 2000. Vice President Joe Biden also won his Delaware Senate seat when running in 2008, and was replaced by his longtime adviser, former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.).

COMMENT:  I've always maintained that Rubio is an attractive candidate.  Whether he is ready for the brutality of a presidential run is another matter.  But we have more than a year to go before candidates must really face hard decisions.  I'll expect Rubio to make moves soon, such as expanding his speaking schedule and, especially, campaigning for Republicans in this year's midterms.  After that, we'll be able to gauge him better.

April 3, 2014