Story highlights The Florida Republican corrected a questioner at a "Life of the Party" event in New Hampshire

The beauty of democracy, Rubio said, is that debate can happen

Washington (CNN) Marco Rubio says socialism is distinct from the communism his parents fled in Cuba and he doesn't fault Bernie Sanders for promoting it -- but that doesn't mean he agrees with his Senate colleague.

The Florida Republican corrected a questioner at a "Life of the Party" event in New Hampshire Wednesday who compared Sanders' brand of socialism with what Rubio's family fled when they left Cuba.

"In fairness, they fled communism," Rubio interjected. "There is social democracy, right, like you see in Europe, where government provides for every aspect of your life, but there's consequence to that. They fled communism, which is beyond socialism, obviously where government controls society, but also government controls politics, life, the banning of religion, people were being executed."

The questioner took his point, but asked him if he ever wants to tell Sanders that he's going too far.

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