They Called Him Giant Slayer

When Marco Rubio launched his long shot bid for the U.S. Senate in May 2009, he trailed Florida Governor Charlie Crist by over 30 points. 18 months later, at the end of a bruising and hard-fought campaign, the unthinkable happened: Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles and a devoted, Tea Party conservative, won the three-man race by 20 points. Conservatives nationwide were smitten with the new senator, and many were calling for him to run for president before he even arrived in Washington. How did Rubio topple Crist and take the conservative movement by storm? For all the talk of Rubio's Tea Party appeal and ethnicity, the answers lie elsewhere. What emerges from his story is the portrait of an extremely hardworking man, driven to overcome the poverty and hardships his family once endured. As a politician, he is clever, methodical, and highly competitive, and his instincts are unsurpassed. In this concise but thorough biography, J. A. McClure surveys Rubio's life so far: his childhood in a working class family, his calculated ascension to power, and his record as a legislator. Rubio's past illuminates his prospects as a national leader -- one with the potential to re-shape the country according to his convictions. - Back cover.