Rubio, stressing humble roots, wins over some Iowa voters turned off by Trump’s wealth

Liz Goodwin
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Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio greets members of the audience after speaking at Wellman’s Pub & Rooftop in West Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – At a crowded bar here Wednesday night, Sen. Marco Rubio mock-sternly told the crowd to tip their servers.

“My dad was a bartender,” he said, as the crowd hooted and clapped.

Rubio has stressed his humble roots in appearances all over the state in the final days before the caucuses, describing to hundreds of curious Iowans the story of his Cuban immigrant parents working their fingers to the bone to provide for their children.

“The Democrats cannot lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck because I grew up living paycheck to paycheck,” Rubio said.

At another appearance in rural Marshalltown, Iowa, Tuesday, Rubio said the fact that his parents were able to go from poor immigrants to homeowners in just 10 years showed him that “America is special.”

To some voters, the senator’s background stands in sharp contrast to that of real estate tycoon Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the state, whom they see as arrogant about his wealth. Trump has pitched himself as a self-made man whose wealth will make him immune from special interests and lobbyists when in office.

“He’s not sitting on billions,” said Liz Jennison, a 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran, of Rubio. “Whereas Trump is like, ‘Look at all this money I have to throw around. I’ll say whatever I want because I have money.’ I don’t like that.”

“Rubio is seemingly humble,” she added.

“I like that he didn’t come from money,” said Bobbie Fontenot, adding that she’s 99 percent decided on caucusing for Rubio after his West Des Moines event Wednesday night.

“Marco has the ability to see and relate to almost anybody in the country,” said Fontenot’s friend Michelle Henamen.

Rubio’s likability thus far hasn’t been enough to boost him into the top tier in Iowa; he still trails Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz by more than 10 points in polls of likely caucus-goers.