Marco Rubio campaign steams into city of Fallon

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, the junior U.S. Senator from Florida, will be in Fallon on Tuesday to speak first with community leaders earlier in the afternoon and then with the general public at the Fallon Convention Center at 5:30 p.m.

The tour is part of a two-day swing through western Nevada. He visits Reno on Monday where he will speak at a rally at the Peppermill. Before arriving in Fallon, Rubio will be in Carson City and Yerington.

Guests are requested to RSVP by emailing Nevada@MarcoRubio.com.

Lt. Gov. Marck Hutchison, who is heading up Rubio’s Nevada campaign, said the senator will first speak and then open his session to question and answer.

Hutchison said this is Rubio’s first trip to Northern Nevada.

Hutchsion said he talked to mayors in Fernley, Fallon, Winnemucca and Elko and asked them to meet with Rubiso.

Hutchison, who was elected to his statewide office in November, said he is excited that Rubio is visiting this part of Nevada.

“He is the next generation’s conservative leader who can ignite the party and inspire the country,” Hutchison said.

The 44-year-old Rubio entered the Republican presidential race in April in which 16 other candidates are seeking the party’s nomination. In various polls, Rubio is ranking in the top 10 with billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump leading the pack.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows Trump with 28 percent support from from registered Republican voters in the 17-candidate field, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who was one of four candidates to attend the Basque Fry in Gardnerville almost two weeks ago, with 12 percent. Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz all have 7 percent.

Rubio came into the national spotlight when he defeated then Gov. Charlie Crist for the senate in 2010. He won the general election with 49 percent of the vote to Crist’s 30 percent. Crist had opted to run for governor with no party affiliation. Rubio, though, received Tea Party support in claiming victory.

Rubio is one of three Latinos who serve in the U.S. Senate. Before entering the senate race, he served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He was first elected to the Florida House in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected speaker in September 2005.

A Cuban American native of Miami, Rubio graduated from the University of Florida and the University of Miami Law School.

Since late 2007, other presidential candidates to visit Fallon have included retired Congressman Ron Paul, President Barack Obama and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum. Former President Bill Clinton spoke on behalf of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in January 2008 at the high school.