In Tampa, Women's March Florida members protested outside Senator Marco Rubio's office, asking him to reconsider his vote for Betsy DeVos. Senator Rubio's office said he's ready to confirm her, but protestors are appealing to Rubio's own background.
“Besty DeVos is not qualified for this position, she has no public school experience she has no public school background,” Ruth Oswald with Women's March Florida said.
The group is asking Senator Rubio to recuse himself if he can't vote against Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary. Monday, they met with representatives from Rubio's office and brought up the senator's own childhood.
“We’re appealing to his conscience to take the high road, really think about what he’s doing, think about sound educational principles, he struggled in this system to get through,” Oswald said.
Women's March Florida said Rubio accepted more than $98,000 in campaign donations from DeVos and her family.
"People contribute to Senator Rubio's campaign because they support his agenda," Rubio's spokesperson Christina Mandreucci said. "Ms. DeVos is a strong supporter of empowering parents and providing educational opportunity for all, policies Senator Rubio has supported for over a decade. Her nomination is opposed by Democrats who take millions of dollars from the big unions obsessed with denying school choice to low-income children. Senator Rubio looks forward to voting to confirm her."
That's a decision the protestors have vowed to challenge.
“Go into your soul and ask yourself, what’s really the right thing to do,” Oswald said.
