The New York Times Saturday endorsed Democrat Patrick Murphy over Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in their hotly contested race in Florida, citing the state's changing Hispanic electorate and the incumbent's endorsement of Donald Trump.
Citing polls showing that younger Cuban-Americans are more aligned now with Democrats than Republicans, the Times said in an editorial that Rubio "can no longer rely on Cuban-Americans as a stalwart base in a state where many voters have become alienated by his hard-line conservative positions … his shifting stance on immigration reform.
"Of course, the Trump factor is substantial, too," the editorial continued. "Rubio, who once called Mr. Trump a 'con artist' wholly unfit to be president, now backs him.
"Many former Rubio supporters find that galling and indefensible."
The Times also noted that Rubio "earned a reputation on Capitol Hill as a disengaged lawmaker who skipped scores of key votes and hearings."
Turning to Murphy, the editorial noted that the two-term congressman's positions supporting climate change, gay rights, gun control and immigration "make him by far a superior representative for Floridians."
Murphy also has gained support for challenging Rubio's "obstinate support for the failed embargo on Cuba," the editorial said, "which puts him on the right side of history and, increasingly, public opinion in Florida."
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