"Well, then, why is Ted Cruz spending so much money attacking me?” Marco Rubio said. | AP Photo Rubio to Cruz: If I'm so 'establishment,' why are they attacking me?

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Marco Rubio Thursday laughed off Ted Cruz’s claim that he’s losing support from the GOP establishment, and the idea that he ever had a lock on it in the first place.

Cruz, who is looking to dampen Rubio’s appeal in a state that many view as critical to his chances, first asserted Wednesday that the Republican establishment was “abandoning” Rubio and beginning to coalesce behind Donald Trump.


"Well then, why is Ted Cruz spending so much money attacking me?” Rubio shot back Thursday morning when asked about Cruz’s latest barb. After taking part in a forum on national security here, the Florida senator dismissed Cruz’s two-pronged attack, pointing to the fact that he continues to have more money spent attacking him than any other Republican candidate as evidence that he’s still viewed as serious threat.

He also noted that most of the attacks against him are coming from the GOP establishment itself. "Every time I've ever run for office, whether it's to the Senate or now as president, I've had to take on the Republican establishment, and we're doing it again now,” Rubio said. “For example, I've had over $20 million spent attacking me. That's not grass-roots money, that's money from the establishment.”

The Right to Rise super PAC, which Jeb Bush formed to support his candidacy, has spent $20 million of the more than $103 million it’s raised attacking Rubio, according to the most current analysis.

“I think because people see a solid candidate, he is getting attacked,” said Peter Dunn, a salesman from Manchester who attended Thursday morning’s forum and has received “several” mailers from Right to Rise attacking Rubio. “I think it’s a shame what Jeb is doing. I think that’s probably the saddest attack that we’re seeing. I think it’s a desperate act on his part and I hate to see it.”

Rubio, looking to separate himself from Bush and the other candidates in the so-called mainstream lane of the New Hampshire primary, has himself been drawing sharper contrasts of late between himself and Chris Christie, who seemed to be on an upswing here last month (although John Kasich is now showing more positive momentum than anyone).

Asked specifically about Bush, who polls show within striking distance of Rubio and the other establishment candidates despite having the highest negatives of any GOP contender, Rubio cited his support for Common Core as a point of difference.. "While we and many conservatives across the country were off fighting against the Obama agenda, Jeb was nowhere to be found,” Rubio said. “In fact, he spent most of his time traveling the country trying to push Common Core on local school districts.

"I think the bigger issue is we can't just keep electing the next person in line,” he continued. “We can't just keep on electing the person with the most money or the most endorsements.”