Rubio to Idahoans: I will grow GOP and unify U.S.

When Republicans in Idaho vote on Tuesday, the fundamental question before them will not be between names on a ballot, it will be between different futures for the conservative movement and America. I offer a positive and unified future with real results for our people, while Donald Trump offers only division for our Party and defeat in November.

Donald Trump is undoubtedly the candidate you've heard the most about over the last few months, yet in many ways he’s also the candidate you’ve heard the least about. This is because he offers no ideas, no specific solutions to the problems you face, and no workable plan to strengthen our economy or keep our people safe in this dangerous world.

The good news is, despite what the media may lead you to believe, Donald Trump is not the inevitable nominee of our Party. In fact, the majority of voters who have already cast their votes have cast them against Donald Trump.

I will continue to campaign as long as it takes to ensure our Party — the Party of Lincoln and Reagan — does not fall into the hands of this say-everything, do-nothing candidate. In order to win against Hillary Clinton in November, we need a nominee who will unify and grow our Party. I will be that nominee.

I will take our message to people living paycheck to paycheck. I can do that because, unlike Donald Trump, I grew up living paycheck to paycheck.

I will take our message to young Americans struggling under thousands of dollars of student loan debt. I can do that because, unlike Donald Trump, I had to take out over $100,000 in student loans to pay for my education.

I will take our message to parents struggling to raise their children in the 21st century. I can do this because, unlike Donald Trump, my wife and I are raising four children right now and we know how hard it is to meet all of their needs while also paying the mortgage and covering the other rising costs of daily life.

I will also take our message to the many millions of Americans who feel less safe under Barack Obama than any previous president. I can do that because, unlike Donald Trump, I have experience dealing with the threats we face, I have serious proposals for how to overcome them, and I have the judgment and temperament to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

In the months ahead, my goal is not just to unify our Party but ultimately to unify our country. That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to agree with me on everything. But it does mean I’m going to be a president for all Americans, even those who don’t vote for me. Because an American president has to love the American people, even those who don’t love him back.

There is a lot of healing to be done to unify our Party and defeat Hillary Clinton. And there is a lot of work ahead for our generation to save the American Dream. Yet I know that in the end we will make the right choices and do what it takes to leave our children better off than ourselves. Each generation of Americans has done its part, and now the time has come for us to do ours.

If you choose me as our nominee, we will put the false promise of big government behind us and embrace the power of a free people in a free economy to create a more prosperous nation. In doing so, we will not only save the American Dream, we will expand it to reach more people than ever before.

And the 21st Century will not just be as good as the 20th century, it will be better. It will be a New American Century.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Rubio to Idahoans: I will grow GOP and unify U.S.."