Fresh off his primary victory on Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio spoke with WPTV about issues facing the state and his upcoming race against U.S. Rep.Patrick Murphy.
RELATED: Watch WPTV's interview with Murphy | More political news
Speaking on the battle against Zika, Rubio said when Congress reconvenes this fall, they must come up with a funding plan.
“I feel cautiously optimistic after the August and summer we’ve had, cases we’ve seen in Florida, including mosquitoes testing positive in Miami Beach … this will finally get some of our colleagues over the line. The issue’s largely been in the House. In the Senate, we’ve been able to pass bi-partisan legislation that provides over a billion dollars for Zika funding, including development of a vaccine,” said Rubio.
The incumbent senator rebutted statements that he wouldn’t commit to a full six-year term if re-elected.
“That was not accurate. All I have ever said is no one can tell you for sure where they’re going to be five years for now. Things in life change, but I can tell you what I am committed to. I’m running for the U.S. Senate for a six-year term, and it’s my intention to serve the state and serve it for the full term,” said Rubio. “What you’re going to find throughout this campaign is that Patrick Murphy is going to continue to come up with things like this and make things up. He has no record of achievement. This guy’s been in Congress for four years, and he can’t talk to you about a single signature achievement. He’s not a hard worker. He’s kind of a lazy guy.”
Rubio also spoke about illegal immigration and said the only way forward for reform is to prove to people that it is under control and the border is secure.
Click in the video player below to watch the full interview: