Should Marco Rubio Resign From Senate? Florida Newspaper Puts Republican On Blast Because Of Missed Votes

A prominent Florida newspaper has called on Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio to resign from his position as a United States senator for Florida, CNN reported Wednesday. In an editorial published Tuesday night, the Sun Sentinel blasted the politician for “ripping off” the people of Florida, citing that he is being paid $174,000 with taxpayer money to do a job that he is not doing.

“By choosing to stay in the Senate and get the publicity, perks and pay that go with the position — without doing the work — you are taking advantage of us," the Sun Sentinel, which is based in Fort Lauderdale, wrote. "Your job is to represent Floridians in the Senate. Either do your job, Sen. Rubio, or resign it."

This year, Rubio has missed nearly one-third of his Senate votes, according to the New York Times. Rubio told CNN Sunday that the reason he missed his votes was because he was campaigning, but the high-profile newspaper found that to be an inadequate excuse.

"Sorry, senator, but Floridians sent you to Washington to do a job. We've got serious problems with clogged highways, eroding beaches, flat Social Security checks and people who want to shut down the government," the Sun Sentinel wrote. "If you hate your job, senator, follow the honorable lead of House Speaker John Boehner and resign it."

Rubio is not the only candidate who has been criticized for letting his day job slide while on the campaign trail. In 2008, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain were all serving as senators throughout the race to the presidency, and the three reportedly let their positions suffer. However, the Sun Sentinel acknowledged that current Republican candidates and fellow Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have missed only 10 Senate votes during their campaigns, while Rubio has missed 59.

“Let us elect someone who wants to be there and earn an honest dollar for an honest day's work,” the Sun Sentinel wrote. “Don't leave us without one of our two representatives in the Senate for the next 15 months or so.”