Senator Rubio plans announcement at Miami Freedom Tower: report

[April 06, 2015]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Potential U.S. presidential candidate Republican Senator Marco Rubio will host his April 13 event, where he is expected to reveal his plans for the 2016 election, at the iconic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, according to the Miami Herald.

Rubio of Florida on Monday told Fox News that he would announce on April 13 whether he plans to seek the 2016 Republican presidential nomination or run for Senate re-election, but had not previously confirmed the expected location.

Pressed on whether he would announce a White House bid on Fox News, Rubio said: "I'll announce something on April 13." Rubio, a Cuban-American lawmaker, did not tell the Miami Herald what exactly he will announce either.

"To me, it's a place that’s symbolic of the promise of America," Rubio told the Miami Herald of the Freedom Tower, which for more than a decade starting in the 1960s was the first U.S. location where Cuban refugees arrived after leaving the island.

There was little doubt among Republicans who have encountered Rubio recently that he would in fact run for the presidency in 2016.

"He's running for president," said a veteran Republican operative who attended a recent fundraiser where Rubio spoke. "There's no doubt in my mind," the official told Reuters.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, writing by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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