Photo

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be taking a detour from the campaign trail this week to visit somewhere he is not seen very often these days: the Capitol.

When President Obama delivers his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr. Rubio will be in attendance. It is not only Mr. Obama’s last, but Mr. Rubio’s, too — that is, as a spectator, he hopes.

Mr. Rubio’s focus on the campaign trail has been different from many of his Republican opponents. He has largely focused on a message more suited to a general election than he has on one that conservative primary voters would find appealing.

On Monday, he will be in Florida, where he will speak at a town-hall-style event in Sarasota, where he is expected to address taxes, spending and the overall economy.

The next few weeks will be a test for the young senator as he tries to give his campaign a push.

Will he make more of a pivot toward an appeal that resonates with conservative voters, as his speeches in the last week have? Or will he see a clearer path to breaking out as positioning himself as the candidate who can unite the party and offer the clearest distinction with Hillary Clinton?

Mr. Rubio has been testing this message lately, too, telling audiences that he is the candidate that Democrats fear most. The big question, of course, is whether he can stand out enough to be back in Washington in 2017 — but not as a spectator this time.

