Marco Rubio's strengths and weaknesses

Marco Rubio, a charismatic Cuban-American senator from Florida, on Monday fired the starting pistol on his campaign to become the first Hispanic president of the US. The 43-year-old is marketing himself as the voice of the younger generation, saying that without new leaders the "American dream" will no longer be attainable. Where some see an inspirational candidate, others see an inexperienced politician who is not ready for the White House. Here are a few of the strengths and weaknesses of his campaign to be the 45th president of the United States.

Strengths

? Youthful, energetic and exudes optimism

As the youngest of the declared and potential candidates for the White House, Mr Rubio is painting himself as the future of the Republican party and the country. He is 19 years younger than Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who is also expected to run, and 24 years younger than Hillary Clinton, who declared her bid for the Democratic nomination on Sunday. Supporters believe his more natural campaigning style coupled with dynamism and energy will present a stark contrast with some of his older rivals. He has a photogenic family - a wife and four children - that remind some of John F Kennedy and Barack Obama and could help him appeal to younger families.

? Orator

As one of the best orators in Congress, even his critics concede that he is articulate and adept at explaining complex issues in a simple way. Republicans disagree about whether he is a better communicator than Ronald Reagan but many agree he is better at connecting with ordinary people than many of his fellow lawmakers.

? Hispanic

Mr Rubio is the first Spanish-speaking Hispanic to run for the White House. While his appeal may be stronger in the Cuban-American community, he will attempt to draw support from the broader Latino community by campaigning in Spanish. That could be significant given that 25m Latinos - 11 per cent of the electorate - are now eligible to vote, an increase of 3.9m over the past four years. On Monday night he quoted his father saying "En este pais, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos" - "In this country, you will achieve all the things we never could" - which Larry Sabato, a politics expert at the University of Virginia, says was probably the first time a presidential candidate had spoken in a foreign language on such an occasion.

? Social media

While all the announced and potential contenders are talking about digital campaigns, Mr Rubio leads the pack in terms of Twitter followers, with 715,000 and counting.

However, all the Republicans trail far behind Mrs Clinton, who is followed by 3.35m accounts.

Weaknesses

? Young and inexperienced

Youth can be a drawback as well as a blessing. Mr Rubio's critics charge his scant four years in the senate mean he lacks the kind of experience that Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and, to a lesser extent, Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who is planning to run, would bring to the White House. Some Republicans fear the party would have trouble convincing the American people to elect a freshman senator after spending years attacking Mr Obama as having been a first-term senator who was never qualified to become president.

? Money

Mr Rubio first needs to win the Republican primary, where he could face more than a dozen rivals. Some of them, particularly Jeb Bush, may have deeper pockets. Team Rubio argues that he will generate more money than people think - pointing out that Mr Cruz has greatly exceeded expectations since his launch - and says he will need less money than Mr Bush because he will better mobilise grassroots support.

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Mr Rubio will have to share the Hispanic vote. Jeb Bush mistakenly wrote "Hispanic" on a 2009 voter registration form, sparking a flurry of debate on Twitter. While the brother of George W Bush is clearly not Hispanic, he is married to a Mexican, has embraced the culture and speaks fluent Spanish. Ted Cruz, whose father was born in Cuba, is also Hispanic but he says he only speaks "Spanglish". Mr Rubio may garner the most support among Cuban-Americans but they are a much smaller group than Mexican-Americans. Even in Florida, Cuban-Americans account for a much smaller proportion of Hispanics than they once did.

? Long shot

Mr Rubio is not a household name in America and has a very short Senate career. He faces one of the biggest Republican fields in years. Al Cardenas, one of the most prominent Republicans in Florida who is very close to Mr Bush and Mr Rubio, says he will struggle. But Mr Cardenas, who is backing Mr Bush, says Mr Rubio is probably thinking that "lightning struck once, why not strike twice", after he stunned the establishment by beating Charlie Crist, the sitting Florida Republican governor, in the 2010 Senate race that launched him on to the national stage.

Twitter: @DimiSevastopulo

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