U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida announced Tuesday night that he would suspend his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.



That announcement came on the heels of a "significant" victory in his home state of Florida for GOP front-runner Donald Trump, as projected by NBC News. At 44, Rubio was touted earlier in the campaign as one of the brightest young stars of the Republican party.

But Rubio, with wins in just Minnesota, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, lamented in a Tuesday address that it was "clear" he would not be on the winning side of history, but he continued to promote the thesis of his campaign: A political run that is "realistic about the challenges we face," but still "optimistic."