JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of Florida retirees rallied Wednesday outside Sen. Marco Rubio’s Jacksonville office, urging him to pledge to protect Social Security.
About a dozen demonstrators, many affiliated with the Florida Alliance for Retired American, are concerned that Rubio has said that Social Security and Medicare have "weakened us as a people" and are "bankrupting this country." The group gave Florida's Republican junior senator a zero rating on its scorecard. They note that Rubio's Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy, has already signed a pledge to protect Social Security.
“We retirees are not greedy old geezers. We care about our children and our grandchildren," Barbara DeVane said. "I have both, and I care about the economic security of their future."
Rubio's office was closed during the group's protest, so the demonstrators put the letter under the door.
Rubio's campaign spokeswoman, Olivia Perez-Cubas, defending Rubio's record on Social Security and saying the people involved are Murphy supporters.
"Marco's own mother relies on Social Security as her sole source of income. Marco would never do anything to hurt his mother or the millions of Florida seniors who depend on Social Security and Medicare," Perez-Cubas said. "He'll continue to fight to strengthen the programs for future generations."