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 Regarded as well-spoken and telegenic, Rubio began facing
criticism a few months ago when he was perceived as campaigning too
little in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states where next month
party members will cast their first ballots.
Rubio, 44, may still have a breakthrough, but with 20 days to go
until Iowa's Feb. 1 nominating caucuses, the first-term Florida
lawmaker faces questions about his campaign strategy in a race for
the Nov. 8 election made up of 11 candidates dominated by the
billionaire Trump and U.S. Senator Cruz of Texas.
His prospects reach a critical moment at a Thursday night debate in
South Carolina when he tries to position himself as the consensus
alternative to Trump and Cruz and distance himself from such
establishment candidates as former Florida governor Jeb Bush and
governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio.
Republican experts say he seems to be straddling two political
lanes, trying to win over establishment Republicans as well as
anti-establishment conservatives who favor Cruz.
 The debate, on the Fox Business Network, is due to begin at 9 p.m.
ET on Thursday (0200 GMT on Friday).
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio has drawn support by stressing
his working-class upbringing in Las Vegas and Miami as the child of
a bartender father and a mother who was both a maid and a cashier.
But voters and party operatives suggest he has until recently failed
to commit to the intimate face-to-face politicking considered
mandatory by voters in either Iowa or New Hampshire, which has a
Feb. 9 primary.
Rubio aides acknowledge the high stakes of the coming weeks.
"I feel good but we've got to close strong," said Rubio's New
Hampshire state director, Jim Merrill.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll showed Rubio on Wednesday at 6.7
percent, compared to 15.2 percent little more than a month ago,
falling from second place to fifth among Republicans after Trump,
Cruz, Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
A QUESTION OF COMMITMENT
Some voters have cited a tendency by Rubio in past months to stick
to well-honed talking points on the stump instead of mixing it up at
town-hall meetings where people can ask questions. This has raised
concerns he might lack necessary experience.
"There's a lot of people who were very interested in him and
continue to be, but in Iowa it just seems like he hasn't fully
committed himself to aggressively campaign in the state and that's
causing some pause," Iowa Republican strategist Doug Gross said.
Dennis Thorell of New Durham, New Hampshire, said Rubio needed a
longer resume of accomplishments than U.S. senator and former
speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Thorell said Rubio
might be better suited for the vice presidency or another top job in
a Republican administration.
"He hasn't had any experience running anything," Thorell said while
listening to Rubio in Concord, New Hampshire, last week. "He did
very well in the legislature down in Florida and was mentored by Jeb
(Bush) but he hasn't run anything."
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Rival candidates for the Republican nomination have assailed Rubio
also for his absences from the U.S. Senate during hearings and floor
votes, raising further questions about how he spends his time.
Defending his record of missed votes, Rubio has said the majority of
his time is spent in service to his constituents and his Senate
committee work, both of which he says continue unabated.
ADVERTISING BOOST
Rubio aides told Reuters they plan a multimillion-dollar advertising
campaign for New Hampshire and expect to outspend all rivals on the
TV airwaves in the state.
The aides said Rubio has plans to be a major presence in both Iowa
and New Hampshire in the final stretch, with a schedule that will
include plenty of give-and-take with voters in informal settings
such as town halls.
They said Rubio's schedule is as heavy as any of his rivals, but
that much of it has been at behind-the-scenes fund-raising events
that have been essential to get him the resources needed for the
final push.
Republican strategists say Rubio's path to the nomination would have
to start with at least a third-place finish in Iowa presumably
behind poll leaders Cruz and Trump, which would deliver him some
momentum going into New Hampshire.
If Rubio goes on to place high in Iowa and do well in New Hampshire,
he and his aides will see it as the realization of a strategy of
going for broke at the right moment in the states that render the
first judgments in the presidential race.
"From the get-go we said we didn't want to peak in September, we
wanted to peak in February. It's starting to grow. It feels like
it's starting to happen for us," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said.
Republican analysts say Rubio appears to be as well-placed as any of
his rivals in the drive to become the establishment Republican
favorite. He is drawing increasingly larger crowds in New Hampshire
and has a solid organization in the state.
"I think he suffered from the perception that he hasn't been here as
much and worked it as hard as some of his competitors," Republican
strategist Steve Duprey said. "If he puts the pedal to the metal, he
could do very well."
For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, “Tales
from the Trail” (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/).
(Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Caren Bohan and
Howard Goller)
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