RUBIO CHANGES MIND, WILL SEEK RE- ELECTION

WASHINGTON Former U. S. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio announced Wednesday he will run for re-election to the Senate from Florida, reversing his retirement plans under pressure from party leaders.

“In politics, admitting you’ve changed your mind is not something most people like to do. But here it goes,” Rubio said in a statement. “I have decided to seek re- election to the United States Senate.”

The 45-year-old first-term senator had repeatedly described his frustration with the slowmoving Senate, and had been expected to enter the private sector and prepare for another presidential run in 2020. But he’d been rethinking his plans, particularly following the massacre in Orlando.

With Republicans at risk of losing their slim Senate majority in November’s elections, GOP leaders were concerned the Republican candidates who’d emerged for Rubio’s seat weren’t up to the task of winning in a large, expensive state like Florida.