Rubio and Romney at the Miami airport (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)DANIA BEACH, Fla.—Marco Rubio may not have been picked as Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate, but the freshman Florida senator has been picked for a major role at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rubio will introduce Romney when he arrives to give his nomination acceptance speech on the final night of the convention. The news, which hasn't yet been formally announced by the Romney campaign or the GOP convention committee, comes after Romney spent the day campaigning with Rubio in Florida.
Speaking to reporters outside the candidate's campaign plane, Rubio praised Romney and his new running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, calling him a "fantastic choice (that) really crystallizes what this election is about." And he previewed what he'll likely talk about in Tampa.
"It's quite a stark difference between the two tickets, the two choices that the American people have," Rubio said. "The difference is the vision that Barack Obama offers for America's future is one that would diminish us, one that would take away all the things that make us exceptional and different and better than the rest of the world."