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 Billionaire New York investor Paul Singer sent a letter to dozens
of other donors on Friday declaring his support for Rubio in a major
blow to the struggling campaign of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush,
the newspaper said. They are among the candidates seeking the 2016
Republican presidential nomination.
Asked by reporters in Iowa about Singer's support, Rubio said: "When
people donate to us, they buy into our agenda, and I'm glad that he
has and it will help us with resources." Rubio added: "Resources
alone are not enough ... but we're grateful to have his help,
obviously."
Rubio, Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and several other
Republican candidates had eagerly sought Singer's support, the Times
said.
In the letter, Singer described Rubio as the only candidate who can
"navigate this complex primary process, and still be in a position
to defeat" Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic
presidential nomination in the November 2016 general election.
Singer gave more money to Republican candidates and causes last year
than any donor in the country, the Times said, citing the Center for
Responsive Politics.
He is courted by Republicans both for his willingness to give and
for his network of fellow conservative donors, the newspaper
reported.
The Times did not say how much Singer intended to donate to Rubio,
who is coming off a strong debate performance on Wednesday night in
Colorado.
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Rubio is third behind businessman Donald Trump and retired
neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a Real Clear Politics average of national
opinion polls for the Republican race.
Bush, who is in fifth place in the polling and recently downsized
his campaign staff, gave what is widely viewed as a lackluster
performance in the debate.
For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, “Tales
from the Trail” (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/)
(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Additional reporting by
Emily Stephenson in Iowa; Editing by Will Dunham)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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