Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the myriad contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, will speak at a Student Government sponsored event at the Russell House on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
Rubio — currently polling seventh in South Carolina according to Real Clear Politics — visited Columbia in July to officially enter the state’s 2016 primary. He was the first to register in South Carolina.
On that July occasion, Rubio spoke on a number of subjects, including student debt.
“We cannot continue to do this in our country,” he said. “We cannot continue to graduate people with a mountain of debt.”
Michael Parks, a third-year finance and insurance risk management student and Student Government’s Secretary of Government Affairs, arranged for Rubio’s Russell House appearance.
“When I interviewed for the job last spring, I said that my main initiatives would be bringing in presidential candidates with the upcoming election,” he said. “And luckily I have some contacts on [Rubio’s] campaign.”
Rubio’s connection to South Carolina runs deeper than some of his contenders. Terry Sullivan, his campaign manager, worked on Romney’s 2008 primary campaign in the state.
Additionally, Rubio’s senior political advisor Heath Thomson oversaw George W. Bush’s 2000 primary win in South Carolina, a campaign that knocked the then-surging Sen. John McCain more or less out of the race.
Additionally, Rubio is a personal friend of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott according to a Buzzfeed article published last year. He helped fundraise for the junior senator, who went on to win handily against his Democratic opponent in 2014.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina’s senior senator and also in contention for the Republican nomination, has a slightly more tempered view of Rubio.
“He’s a good guy,” Graham told The Weekly Standard last October, “but after doing immigration with him — we don’t need another young guy not quite ready.”
Parks hopes that Rubio’s appearance won’t be the last time a presidential candidate comes to speak on campus this year.
“It shouldn’t be difficult for a handful of others to stop by,” he said. “We’re hoping to make this a ‘presidential speaking series’ or however you want to call it.”
Students can submit questions for Rubio’s event by using the hashtag #AskMarco on Twitter.