Marco Rubio’s “good friend,” Florida state Rep. Julio Gonzalez, has hit new lows with his recently introduced “religious freedom” bill. Going above and beyond its Indiana counterpart, Gonzalez’s “malicious” bill allows adoption agencies toprevent same sex couples from adopting a child, and health care providers to deny services when it goes against their “religious or moral convictions or policies.”
Not only did Rubio endorse the representative during Gonzalez’s campaign last year, the Florida senator also received a $1,350 donation from him in September. In addition, Gonzalez has served on a host committee for a Florida fundraiser for Rubio’s presidential campaign.
Just last week, Rubio appointed another state representative in Arkansas who sponsored a similar RFRA law to his campaign team. His support of Gonzalez in 2014 clearly wasn’t just about winning allies — Rubio sees eye to eye with Gonzalez on his most extreme right-wing positions, including bigoted and discriminatory religious freedom laws.
Background
September 2015: Rubio Accepted A $1,350 Donation From Gonzalez
September 2015: Rubio Accepted $1,350 From Julio Gonzalez. According to FEC reports, Rubio accepted a donation of $1,350 from Julio Gonzalez on September 4, 2015. [Marco Rubio, Itemized Individual Contributions, 9/4/2015]
June 2015: Gonzalez Served On The Host Committee For A Rubio Fundraiser
Rubio Supporters Planned A Fundraiser In Sarasota. According to Herald Tribune, “A fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio planned for tonight in Sarasota has been canceled, with backers saying they plan to reschedule the event in the fall when more seasonal residents are in town. Rubio, the U.S. Senator from Florida, was expected to appear at the fundraiser but his local supporters had trouble lining up enough high-dollar donors to make the visit worthwhile for the candidate.” [Herald Tribune, 6/18/15]
- Julio Gonzalez Served On The “Host Committee” For The Fundraiser.According to Herald Tribune, “An invite obtained by the Herald Tribune showed a relatively small ‘host committee’ for the event. It includes a handful of local officials and donors, including state Rep. Julio Gonzalez, county commissioner Charles Hines, county commissioner Christine Robinson and real estate investor Lemuel Sharp.” [Herald Tribune, 6/18/15]
April 2015: Rubio Endorsed Gonzalez For The Florida Legislature
April 2015: The Herald Tribune Called Rubio A “Friend And Ally” Of Julio Gonzalez. According to The Herald Tribune, “About midway through Marco Rubio’s speech, it hit Julio Gonzalez that he was no longer just watching a friend and ally announce he was running for president. ‘I started to get overwhelmed by the bigger picture,’ said Gonzalez, a state representative from Venice who is Cuban-American. Gonzalez, who was in Miami for Rubio’s announcement last week, noted he was standing in the Freedom Tower, the place where his own parents first met as they escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba, like so many Cuban-Americans who call Florida home.” [The Herald Tribune, 04/20/15]
August 2014: Rubio Called Gonzalez His “Good Friend” And Endorsed His Campaign For State Legislature
[Video] August 2014: Rubio Called Julio Gonzalez His “Good Friend” And Endorsed Him For Florida House District 74. According to Phil Ammann YouTube Channel, “U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is supporting his ‘good friend’ Julio Gonzalez in a new digital ad for the contentious House District 74 race. […] ‘Julio isn’t a politician,’ Rubio says. ‘He’s a principled conservative, a veteran, a medical doctor who served his country and community.’ ‘Julio has lived the American dream,’ Rubio added. ‘And he knows how to keep that dream alive.’ Gonzalez is ‘the only conservative in this race,’ he concludes.” [Phil Ammann YouTube Channel, 8/13/14]
- Herald Tribune, 2014: Rubio “Backed Gonzalez’s Campaign.”According to the Herald Tribune, “Gonzalez hopes his support can help him weather the attacks. For most of 2013, Gonzalez was the only candidate in the race. That helped him lock up a lot of early political support. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and former state Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, have all backed Gonzalez’s campaign. Last week, Rubio filmed a television commercial calling Gonzalez his friend and advocating his election.” [Herald Tribune, 8/19/14]
- Herald Tribune, 2014: “Rubio Endorsed Gonzalez’s Campaign On Paper” Before Making Video.According to the Herald Tribune, “Rubio cut a 30-second television ad giving a strong endorsement of Republican Julio Gonzalez, who is running in a GOP primary against Richard DeNapoli. […] It’s not the first time Rubio, a Miami Republican elected in 2010, has gotten involved in the race. Earlier this summer, Rubio endorsed Gonzalez’s campaign on paper. Whether Rubio’s endorsement sways primary voters or not, his involvement adds to the flow of outside influences trying to shape the race. Already, more than $1.1 million has been spent on the primary.” [Herald Tribune, 8/18/14]
Published: Oct 27, 2015