URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) – Marco Rubio is campaigning for president on the promise of a better future and his powerful personal story about the American Dream.
As he treks across Iowa this week, however, Rubio often leaves unmentioned a thin record of accomplishment that opponents compare to another rookie senator who sought the White House: Barack Obama.
Rubio says voters will see over time how he is different from Obama despite their similar paths in state politics and the Senate.
Yet it’s clear he’s drawing from Obama’s playbook in one sense. Rubio’s main appeal is fueled not by governing experience or proven accomplishment, but by far less tangible markers of leadership and an ability to inspire.