At this point in the campaign, what are Rubio's strengths? For many Republicans, the 45-year-old senator from Florida remains the candidate who sends a desirable message about their party. He is young, he has a rags-to-riches story, he is part of the culturally diverse nation that waves of immigration have created in America. His rhetoric is optimistic and it is often bold. During many debates he has shown a strong command of the substance of public policy.
With so many people believing that the Republican Party has drifted drastically to the right -- with abrasive, nativistic and hostile rhetoric shaping many of the party's leaders -- a vote for Rubio would send a message that the image of an extremist party is not accurate. Republicans are more than a party for older, angry white males, a Rubio victory would demonstrate.
The South Carolina second-place showing was as meaningful to him as the victory was to Trump. But to take Trump down, especially as The Donald turns all of his rather devastating firepower toward him, Rubio will need to engage in a much sharper style of counterattack politics and to loosen up a bit in the campaign to shed some of the robotic image that raises questions about how much of what he says is scripted.
But anyone who continues to dismiss Rubio is making a mistake. He has the potential to win this nomination, and there are good reasons that he remains the Republican whom the Hillary Clinton camp is most worried about facing in a general election.