WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R) has been quite vocal about Florida's election recount and even raising the issue of the possibility of voter fraud, but his sharp rhetoric has not been received well with other members of the state's congressional delegation, with key races still undecided.
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In the days since the midterm election, Florida's junior senator has been vocal on Twitter expressing frustration with the process and blasting various election officials.
Since the election, the senatorial race has been defined by bitter accusations and legal battles launched by Republicans and Democrats.
Some members of Florida’s congressional delegation believe Rubio’s rhetoric is not helping.
"It's stunning to me that Marco Rubio would be suggesting that anything other than Florida law be followed to make sure these votes are counted and that everyone who has cast a ballot is able to have their franchise matter," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) Florida.
The senator has made it clear he is on board with the recount, and said he wants every legal vote counted. He said someone else is to blame for undermining voter confidence in the election.
"The bottom line is the only thing that should undermine credibility and confidence in our elections is the incompetence of Dr. Snipes and the Broward Elections Department," he said. "So, partisans are going to say what they will say, but I promise you this. If Bill Nelson doesn’t win this election, and Democrats conclude that he lost because of a ballot design, they’ll be the first ones going after Dr. Snipes."
The backlash from Rubio in recent days has been a complete reversal after he refused to campaign against his colleague in the Senate.
The partnership between the two Florida Senators intensified in the months ahead of the election. Florida’s junior senator endorsed Gov. Rick Scott in the race, but did not appear on the campaign trail with the governor.
Now, he is sounding off on his growing suspicion of the lawyers representing U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's campaign.
"My problem is not with Sen. Nelson, but with the lawyers coming down to Florida and trying to change the rules of our election after the fact and that’s not fair to voters and frankly that’s a terrible precedent to set," he said.
Rubio said at this point, he is not calling on his colleague to concede the race for Florida's U.S. Senate seat.
"I'm not calling on anyone to do anything. He has a right to pursue all his legal options. My concern is lawyers changing Florida law after the election, particularly laws that nobody cared about before," he said.