TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential aspirations and insistence that he was done with the Senate didn't hurt him with GOP voters. Now it's time to see if the rest of Florida will be as forgiving as he seeks a second term.
Rubio easily won the Republican nomination to retain his seat and will be challenged by Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. It's a race Democrats are targeting in an effort to regain a majority in the Senate, and their hope is that Rubio's presidential ambitions have dulled the shine he had with Florida voters.
Polls show Rubio's approval rating took a dip during the presidential run.
Rubio and Murphy were already focusing on each other before the primary, with Rubio saying Murphy is a privileged son of a millionaire who has never earned anything himself, and Murphy saying Rubio cares more about political ambitions than the state.
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