Calls Grow for Marco Rubio to Step Down

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is fighting back against growing calls for him to resign his office while he campaigns for president. 

On Tuesday, the Florida Sun-Sentinel, which endorsed Rubio when he ran for the Senate in 2010, called on him to resign. It noted that he's missed nearly 30 percent of votes this year, more than any other senator. 

During Wednesday night's GOP debate in Boulder, Colorado, fellow candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush confronted Rubio for missing votes and said, "You should be showing up to work."

Also on Wednesday, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid became one of the first leading Democrats to call on Rubio to resign, saying the people of Florida "aren't getting their money's worth."

Rubio has said he believes most votes in the Senate are "show votes" and don't accomplish much.  On Thursday, his spokesman, Alex Conant, noted that Barack Obama did not give up his Senate seat when he ran for president and added, "It's obvious that Democrat leaders are very worried that Marco will beat Clinton next year."  

An analysis by GovTrack.us shows that Senators John McCain and Barack Obama missed more time at comparable stages of their campaigns than Rubio.

Rubio has jumped all-in to the presidential race and is not seeking re-election to the Senate next year.