Marco Rubio leaves door open for 2016 White House bid

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Tuesday once again brushed off the idea that he'll be the Republican party's 2012 vice presidential nominee, but he left open the door for a presidential bid farther down the road.

"I have no interest in serving as vice president for anyone who could possibly live all eight years of the presidency," Rubio said at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., eliciting laughter from the packed audience, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rubio, a first-term senator seen as a rising star within the GOP, suggested thinking about higher office at this point would negatively impact his ability to do his job.

"All of a sudden, maybe you're afraid to take a position on a certain issue because it imperils your opportunity to do that something else," he said. "So the reality of it is, I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee. But I look forward to working for whoever our nominee is."

While Rubio would appear to be categorically ruling out being the GOP's vice presidential nominee, it's worth noting that many politicians have made similar statements and then later joined their party's ticket.

In a follow-up interview with Politico, Rubio addressed the possibility of a 2016 presidential run.

"Oh gosh, I'm not ruling out, I'm not ruling in. I'm not discussing anything about 2016," he said. Rubio added that he hasn't even decided whether to run for a second Senate term and that thinking about a 2016 bid is "distracting."

Rubio is considered the leading contender for the vice presidential slot because of his youth, his Latino background, his strong communication skills and the fact that he hails from a critical swing state. He was elected with the support of the Tea Party, and speeches like the one he delivered at the Reagan Library should bolster his policy credentials.

In response to a question on how Republicans can appeal to Hispanic voters, Rubio reportedly said, "I would say to you that Americans of Hispanic descent want desperately to give their children the chances they never had."