Mock Sen. Jim Demint all you want — seriously — but he’s right that Marco Rubio is THE freshman Republican to watch in the next Congress. Young, charismatic, from an important electoral state and providing much-needed diversity and more ability to appeal to Hispanic voters, Rubio combines the experience of a conventional pol — his time as speaker of the Florida state House — with serious right-wing credibility. Look at his victory speech on election night: He was smart enough to realize that voters weren’t endorsing Republicans but just giving them a chance. While talking about 2012 is premature, a term in the Senate will make him a key name in the 2016 presidential race.
— Tim Fernholz
