“I took a look at all the candidates and in my mind there’s one person who stands out, and that is Sen. Marco Rubio,” Pataki said. | AP Photo George Pataki endorses Marco Rubio

Former New York Gov. George Pataki on Tuesday announced his support for Marco Rubio, hailing the Florida senator as someone who can unite the country.

“We have had a president who has divided us for political benefit. Hillary Clinton is always dividing us for her benefit. Donald Trump is dividing us so he gets the benefit,” Pataki told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum. “Marco Rubio’s going to bring us together, make us understand we’re all Americans for the common future, and I’m proud to endorse him. And I don’t intend to just endorse. I’m going to do everything I can to help Sen. Rubio win this election.”


Pataki dismissed comparisons between Rubio and President Barack Obama, who, like Rubio, was a junior senator when he sought the White House. “Their backgrounds are different, their ideas are different and their vision for the future of America’s totally different,” Pataki said. “I have enormous confidence that Marco Rubio is ready today to be president of the United States. He’s provided great leadership. He did it in the state Legislature in Florida.”

Rubio is a great leader and intelligent congressman with vision and know-how to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, Pataki added. “I took a look at all the candidates and, in my mind, there’s one person who stands out, and that is Sen. Marco Rubio,” he said.

Pataki teased his endorsement Monday but noted it wouldn’t be Donald Trump. “I think some of his comments have been outrageous and bigoted,” he said Tuesday. “I don’t think he is fit to have his finger on the nuclear button, but I have no doubt that Marco Rubio is ready today to lead this country, to serve and lead as our president and to bring us together.”

But he would still support the Republican poll leader over Clinton, who he said is “disqualified and unfit to be president.” “I will not vote for Hillary Clinton for president of the United States,” he said. “I would support every — any — Republican. Right now, I am endorsing and supporting and going to work and continuing to work very hard for Marco Rubio. The hardest, for me, would be Donald Trump.”

Rubio is polling third nationally and in Iowa, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, and fourth in New Hampshire. He lags far behind Trump in both states and nationally and also trails Ted Cruz.

“This is a national race, and it is not a sprint. It’s a marathon,” Pataki said. “You gotta win states on the way but you have to have a national campaign, and Marco Rubio has a national campaign. He’s the only Republican who has people on the ground in all 50 states.”

With the Iowa caucuses less than a week away and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9, Pataki predicted that Rubio would not win Iowa but will do “fine” there and “well” in New Hampshire. “I think he will do extremely well as the campaign moves on, and I think he has the staying power and the vision to win not just the nomination but, most importantly, you gotta win the election,” he said. “And I think he will.”

The former presidential candidate suspended his own campaign last month after struggling to gain any traction in the polls.