Limbaugh Proclaims Rubio "Full-Throated Conservative"

Marco Rubio, Rush Limbaugh

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh came out strong on the side of Marco Rubio during his most recent broadcast, saying media outlets that label the Floridian as the “establishment candidate” are way off base.

“I do not like, speaking for myself, I don’t like this idea that Marco Rubio is all of a sudden being labeled as an establishment candidate,” he said, citing a Reuters story with a headline, “Marco Rubio Emerges Champion of Battered Republican Establishment” and another, “Republican Cruz Calls Iowa Win a Victory for Conservative Grassroots.”

WND reports Limbaugh said he wasn’t dismissing or ignoring Rubio’s Gang of Eight participation that brought forward the amnesty measure. But he also said people make mistakes, even strong conservatives.

“Marco Rubio is no moderate Republican centrist,” he said. “I could sit here like anybody else could and try to make explanations for why he did the Gang of Eight. I’m not even going to try to put words into his mouth. I don’t want to be seen as making excuses. I’m just telling you, I don’t see Marco Rubio as anything other than a legitimate, full-throated conservative. Nobody’s pure and nobody is ever free of making mistakes.”

Limbaugh said he knew Rubio and his views are similar in some respects to Sen. Ted Cruz, who maintains a political image tied more to evangelicals and tea-party type views. And allowing the press to box him as the establishment candidate is a disservice to voters, he suggested.