March 09, 2016 11:21 AM UTC

Marco Rubio's Campaign Becomes a Death Watch

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• by: Colorado Pols

CBS News reporting today, not unexpected after Sen. Marco Rubio’s flatline showing in yesterday’s contests:

Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and those close to the Florida senator are engaged in deep conversations about the future of his presidential bid.

The topic of dropping out before next Tuesday’s Florida primary has been raised and was not summarily dismissed. It is an option being weighed, but it is unknown how seriously.

That it is even on the table speaks to the depth of existential angst within Rubio’s camp after a night of demoralizing setbacks in Michigan, Mississippi and Idaho. Rubio did not qualify for a delegate in any of these states and registered only 9 percent in Michigan and 5 percent in Mississippi. A‎mong the questions Rubio advisers debated somberly after Tuesday’s results was what effect his poor showings would have in his home state of Florida. Another prominent question: how would a loss in Florida next Tuesday affect Rubio’s long-term political future, including a possible run for governor in 2018?

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Rubio down by some 23 points to frontrunner Donald Trump in his home state of Florida. Despite the flood of endorsements for Rubio from the Republican establishment across the nation–including here in Colorado–as the best alternative to Trump, Rubio has totally failed to thrive. Pulling out before the Florida primary would allow the anti-Trump contingent to consolidate behind Ted Cruz, who stands today as the only candidate with even a remote shot at taking Trump down. On the other hand, we’re not sure these arguments about exiting to preserve Rubio’s “political future” make sense–depending on events, it could be worse for him to quit now.

Whether Rubio gets out before Florida or after his expected loss there next week, the fact remains that Cruz is not much more loved by the Republican establishment than Trump himself. To many Republicans, Rubio’s departure from the GOP primary to give Cruz his last best shot can be reasonably considered the end of any realistic hope of winning the presidency in 2016.

And, well, that’s a hard lump to swallow. So give them time to come around…just not too long: