By Tyler Pruett

tyler@southerntorch.com

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala.—The Marco Rubio for President campaign made its first stop in the Yellowhammer state Tuesday afternoon in Guntersville. Speaking to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters, the senator from Florida laid out his plans for a better America. Doors opened at the Guntersville Recreation Center at 3:30 p.m. and Sen. Rubio took the stage at 4:15 pm.

Event organizers estimated that close to one thousand people braved the cold rain, filling the gymnasium to hear the Republican presidential candidate speak. After leaving Guntersville, the  Rubio for President campaign team travelled to Mountain Brook for an evening fundraiser at the home of State Sen. Slade Blackwell. Before traveling to Alabama, the campaign held events in South Carolina on Tuesday morning and visited the first state that will vote in the 2016 primary, New Hampshire, on Monday.

Rubio’s remarks touched on a number of issues, including the gridlock in Washington and our skyrocketing national debt. Rubio said both parties are to blame for our government’s inefficiencies.

“We need leaders that understand the world we live in now, in the twenty-first century,” Rubio said. “We need leaders with a sense of urgency about the issues we face.”

America’s ailing economy, Rubio criticized current fiscal policies as outdated, and contributing to the country being behind on the global market. He also advocated the reform of the U.S. tax code, saying current tax policies are destroying small businesses and prohibiting the creation of new jobs.

For the first time in 35 years, we have more businesses dying than starting,” Rubio said. “This could be remedied by creating a regulatory budget, and placing a cap on how much money regulations can cost our economy.”

While not invoking the name of his closest rival, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Rubio seemed to challenge the senator from Texas on the source of our national debt, asserting that the causes of that debt are not “defense spending or foreign aid that totals less than one percent of our budget, but the way important programs are structured for future generations.”

Rubio also spent time discussing the importance of skill-based education as an alternative to a traditional four year degree and reforming the Veteran’s Administration. He advocated for veterans seeking treatment to be able to take their, “VA benefits to any hospital, any doctor, or any clinic.”

Recently the Rubio Campaign has significantly increased travel and the hosting of campaign events, showing a transition from the “invisible primary” to building support among voters. The “invisible primary” consists of the months leading up to the actual primary, when candidates focus on raising crucial campaign cash and gaining endorsements. The campaign will now focus on meeting voters face-to-face in key states. This process began five days before the Thanksgiving holiday in Iowa and New Hampshire, and continues in southern states this week, where Senator Cruz has made numerous visits and is hedging a large part of his campaign strategy on winning big in the March 1 “SEC Primary.”

Rubio will conclude the rest of the week visiting his home state of Florida and Louisiana.