GOP Presidential Candidates Rubio, Bush Hold Fundraisers In Southern California
LONG BEACH and SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com/AP) — Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio have announced they'll be making campaign stops Tuesday in Southern California.
Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, has been slated to speak to members of the Petroleum Club in Long Beach in a two-part fundraiser.
Like nearly all fundraisers for presidential candidates, the Rubio event was expected to be closed to reporters.
Rubio's plan calls for an "advanceable, refundable tax credit all Americans can use to purchase health insurance," along with changes to insurance regulations to encourage innovation. He also aims to place Medicare and Medicaid on "fiscally sustainable paths."
At 44, the first-term senator is the youngest of the 17 major candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants and would be the nation's first Latino president.
Bush, the former governor of Florida, was scheduled to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The latest member of the Bush family to vie for the presidency was expected to focus on addressing "the grave threat of radical Islamic extremism," according to a campaign aide.
Rubio's and Bush's campaign stops follow visits from Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Sanders was introduced by actress-comedian Sarah Silverman as he greeted a packed crowd at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Monday. He told the more than 27,000 supporters present that he'd fight harder than any other presidential candidate to end institutional racism, two days after Black Lives Matter protesters derailed one of his rallies in Seattle.
Sanders reminded the audience that, as a congressman, he voted against the 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Clinton voted in support of the resolution while serving as a senator.
"The reason why we are doing well in this campaign is because we are telling the truth," said Sanders, who would be the nation's first Jewish president.
While Clinton was in town on Thursday, Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun hosted a star-studded fundraiser for the former first lady at his home. Clinton has served as secretary of state and as a U.S. senator, and is largely considered a front-runner for the Democratic slot.
Clinton on Monday announced a plan that would keep students from having to borrow money to pay tuition at a public college. Bush called the proposal irresponsible and said it would raise taxes and increase government debt.
"We don't need more top-down Washington solutions that will raise the cost of colleges even further and shift the burden to hardworking taxpayers," Bush said. "We need to change the incentives for colleges with fresh policies that result in more individualization and choices, drive down overall costs and improve the value of a college degree, which will help lead to real, sustained 4 percent economic growth."
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