As it stands, 17 Republican candidates are currently vying for the party’s nomination for President of the United States. With a field this large, it can sometimes be difficult for the average voter to keep track of each candidate’s platform and qualifications. Because of this, over the course of the next several weeks, I will be writing a series of articles to outline each candidate. For the most part, I will  focus on each candidate’s social stances and voting record. This week, I will  discuss United States Senator Marco Rubio, and next week I will  discuss Dr. Ben Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins University.

Senator Rubio was born in 1971, 15 years after his parents immigrated to the U.S. to escape an oppressive communist regime in Cuba. His parents, who through hard work would eventually find themselves part of the middle-class, are an embodiment of the American Dream. Today, this concept of the American Dream shapes many of Senator Rubio’s social and economic stances. 

In Rubio’s book, American Dreams, he discusses the importance of reforming the tax code in order to protect small businesses. In the chapter, “Making America Safe for Uber.” Rubio discusses his plan for tax reform. In essence, his plan hinges on the idea that by creating a more straight  forward tax system, we can remove the loopholes that are inherent to the current system. Every year, large corporations hire teams of lawyers that are capable of exploiting these loopholes. This puts small businesses at a significant disadvantage. In addition to this, politically connected corporations have lobbyists who create loopholes to protect themselves from regulations and taxes. Senator Rubio writes, “Instead of carving out exemptions for favored industries that have lobbyists, we propose a pro-growth tax code that treats all employers equally, regardless of their business structure.” 

In terms of social issues, Senator Rubio is a staunch supporter of immigration reform. Rubio’s plan for reforming immigration is a three-step process. The first step is to implement “enforcement measures that are effective and verifiable.” The second step is to modernize our immigration system toward a merit-based system, which places a priority on granting citizenship to immigrants who can contribute in meaningful ways in the U.S. The final and most sensitive step of the process, is to decide “what to do with more than 12 million people [who are] currently here illegally.” Rather than supporting amnesty, Senator Rubio favors a methodical approach. He calls for immigrants to come forward and register. Those who do come forward and pass the qualifications, as well as pay a fine for being here illegally, will then be able to apply for a temporary non-immigrant visa. To keep the visa, these individuals will be required to pay taxes and abide by all of our nation’s laws. Finally, those individuals will be required to stay in this status for at least ten years before being eligible to apply for citizenship through the proper channels with no special pathways. This creates a system that holds individuals accountable and ensures immigrants are paying taxes. 

According to a recent poll released by CNN, Senator Marco Rubio is currently tied for fourth place with Governor Scott Walker. Another poll conducted by Gallup shows that Senator Rubio has the highest favorability rating among Republican candidates. Although it’s still too early to lend much weight to political polls, this still comes as good news for the Rubio campaign. In a crowded Republican field, Senator Rubio is standing out by being the champion of the American Dream.