As Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) discussed immigration reform with journalists this week at a conference in Washington, he further clarified what passing the bill would mean for the GOP, and seemed to hint at a possible presidential run in 2016.
At that American Society of News Editors conference held on Tuesday, Rubio was asked about his political future.
"At some point, in late 2014, what I am going to have to decide is, do I want to serve another term in the Senate, do I want to run for another office?" Rubio said. "I'll make that decision at that time based on a lot of different factors."
According to a report from Businesswek, there are several factors that may influence whether he decides to go for the Republican presidential nomination. They include, but are not limited to, whether he has something to contribute at the executive level and what consequences such a decision may have on his family.
"When you're in a rental car, driving from stop to stop, you better know why you're running and you better be passionate about it," he said.
Rubio also noted that his children are getting older and he needs to "figure out what's right for them."
The remainder of Tuesday's conference was devoted to discussing the lengthy immigration reform bill that Rubio helped craft; a very high-profile topic among politicians and citizens alike right now.
The bill, favored in the Senate, is not being embraced in the House, particularly not by House Republicans. A big issue causing strife involves the bill's inclusion of a clause that would ultimately grant citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in this country.
With growing support for the bill among the Latino population in the United States it's arguable that continued opposition from House Republicans could alienate the increasingly influential Latino vote come election time.
By the same token, passage of the bill would not necessarily cement the support of this population for the GOP, Rubio pointed out at the conference.
"I have never, ever said to anyone, and I will not say here today that if we pass this bill, Republicans are going to get to 55 percent of the Hispanic vote across the country," Rubio said. "I do think that if we deal with this issue, it will allow us to talk about other issues that I think do matter to all Americans, but especially Americans of Hispanic descent."