Former President George W. Bush will lend a hand to Sen. Marco Rubio one month before the Florida Republican’s fierce reelection battle.
{mosads}Bush is planning to headline a fundraiser for Rubio, who faces Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy in the general election, on Oct. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla., according to Palm Beach Post.
The former president, who doesn’t support GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, has shied away from getting involved in the presidential race, but has campaigned and fundraised for Republicans running in tough Senate races.
Bush has hit the campaign trail for Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), his former U.S. trade representative, as well as Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Monday. Young is running against former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) for the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Dan Coats.
The race between Murphy and Rubio has been heating up in the final two months of the campaign. It’s a seat that could be pivotal in determining which party controls the upper chamber next year.
Rubio goes into the race with higher name recognition after his unsuccessful run for his party’s nomination for president. A RealClearPolitics polling average has him ahead by 4.4 points.
Still, political observers in the state expect the race to tighten as it gets closer to November and believe the Senate race will hinge on voter turnout and what happens at the top of the ticket.