Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., confirmed Wednesday that he is weighing his options and considering running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Rubio's announcement came not long after Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a longtime friend of Rubio, told Politico that he would be willing to put aside his bid for the Senate and allow Rubio to run for re-election.

Rubio had said throughout his presidential bid that if he lost in the primary, that he would simply go back to West Miami and become a private citizen.

"The report earlier is accurate," Rubio told reporters. "Carlos and I had a conversation on Sunday in Orlando before I left. Obviously, I take very seriously everything that's going on, not just in Orlando but in our country. I've enjoyed my service here a lot."

"So I'll go home later this week and I'll have some time with my family," Rubio said. "If there's a change in our status, I'll be sure to let everyone know."

Rubio has been prodded throughout the past couple of weeks by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to seek re-election, but had rebuffed those overtures consistently. Even Donald Trump, who defeated Rubio on March 15 in the Florida primary, tweeted out recently that Rubio should launch a re-election campaign.

As of now, five Republicans are seeking to replace Rubio — Lopez-Cantera, Reps. David Jolly and Ron DeSantis, as well as businessmen Carlos Beruff and Todd Wilcox, but none have broken free. Jolly himself has floated a possible exit from the race to face former Gov. Charlie Crist in the 13th congressional district.

Rep. Patrick Murphy is the odds on favorite to win the Democratic nod over fellow Rep. Alan Grayson.