Inhofe Endorses Rubio, Calling Him ‘A Solid Conservative’
Inhofe endorses Rubio for GOP nomination
by Chris Casteel
WASHINGTON _ Sen. Jim Inhofe endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday, becoming the second Oklahoman in Congress to back the first-term Florida lawmaker.
Inhofe, R-Tulsa, called Rubio “a solid conservative” and said he would be the strongest Republican candidate against Hillary Clinton if the former secretary of state secures the Democratic nomination.
Inhofe, who has been in the Senate since 1994, is perhaps best known as the most vocal skeptic in Congress of man-made global warming. He is also a defense hawk and a booster of federal spending on roads and other public works projects; he is chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.
He backed former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the GOP nomination four years ago.
“Marco and I have shared, similar values, such as working for a smaller federal government and putting an end to wasteful spending,” Inhofe said in a prepared statement.