Rubio Launches Presidential Bid For "A New American Century"
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Senator Marco Rubio stood before a crowd at the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami Monday night to announce his candidacy for President of the United States, proclaiming it's time for "a new American century."
Senator Rubio's announcement comes the day after Hillary Clinton, via Twitter, confirmed she is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2016 Presidential Election.
Rubio walked out on the stage at 6:03 PM, starting his speech by saying, "After months of deliberation and prayer about the future of our country, I have come here tonight to make an announcement on how I believe I can best serve her."
WEB EXTRA: Click here to WATCH Marco Rubio's speech
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said he chose the Freedom Tower because "it is a symbol of our nation's identity as the land of opportunity."
Rubio graduated from South Miami High School. His dad worked as a bartender, his mom worked as a housekeeper—which was mentioned several times throughout his speech.
"Both of my parents were born to poor families in Cuba," Rubio said. He said his parents came to the US in 1956, "to the one place on earth where the aspirations of people like them could be more than just dreams."
To read the full speech, click here.
"My father became a bartender. My mother a cashier, a maid and a Kmart stock clerk. They never made it big. But they were successful," Rubio said.
Much of Rubio's speech centered in on the "American Dream" and its current standing.
"But now, too many Americans are starting to doubt whether achieving that dream is still possible," he said.
Rubio offering the nation a younger generation of leadership that breaks free of ideas "stuck in the 20th century."
Earlier in the day, the first-term Republican from Florida spoke to his top donors and told them many families feel the American Dream is slipping away and young Americans face unequal opportunities. He's banking on the hope that he, alone among many GOP rivals, can make inroads with groups that have long eluded Republicans — young people, minorities and the less affluent.
CLICK HERE to see a photo slideshow of Rubio's announcement
Rubio closed his speech centering on what appears to be the main theme of his bid for president, a new American century.
"The final verdict on our generation will be written by Americans not yet born. Let us make sure they record that we made the right choice. That in the early years of this century, faced with a rapidly changing and uncertain world, our generation rose to face the great challenges of our time.
And because we did, there was still one place in the world where who you come from does not determine how far you can go.
Because we did, the American miracle lived on.
And because we did, our children and theirs lived in a new American Century."
To read the full speech, click here.