Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) received over a million dollars in donations from the National Rifle Association during his successful 2016 reelection bid, and—in the aftermath of last week's school shooting in his home state that left 17 dead—the senator appears reluctant to ditch this reliable source of campaign cash.
During a CNN town hall Wednesday night, Rubio was pressed by Cameron Kasky—a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting—to swear off donations from an organization that opposes even minor and widely popular gun control measures, while also suggesting that teachers should be armed.
"Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?" Kasky asked, sparking cheers from the audience.
After a few moments of ducking and dodging, Rubio essentially rejected Kasky's plea, saying people "buy into" his agenda and that he will "always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda."
Watch:
Amazing exchange.
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) February 22, 2018
Rubio refuses to say he'll stop accepting @NRA blood money.
He's taken over 3,000,000 from @NRA & will continue to do so pic.twitter.com/acM6V04J1J
