Rubio campaigns for Allen in NoVa

George Allen on Thursday received the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who joined Allen on the campaign trail at Company Flowers, a family-owned small business in Arlington.

“Few people have the leadership, vision and record of results of George Allen,” said Rubio. “I’m proud to support George Allen because America needs his relentless commitment to holding government accountable and empowering job-creators through our free enterprise system.

“George Allen is essential to retiring Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. We need George Allen to be the 51st vote in the Senate to help repeal and replace Obamacare, fight the regulatory assault on job creators, and hold the line on fiscal discipline in a spendthrift Washington. The promise of the American Dream hinges on this election, and I’m here to support Virginians who will stand up for our country and vote for George Allen.”

“I’m honored to have Marco Rubio’s endorsement in this pivotal election,” said Allen. “Marco has quickly become a powerful, leading voice for the conservative, common-sense principles and freedom that have made America great. We need unity of purpose to win in November, welcoming Republicans, Independents and Democrats to our cause for a better future of freedom and opportunity for all.  Marco’s leadership helps build our growing team of grassroot supporters who envision a better future based on individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise that empowers every person to reach their American Dream.”

Company Flowers was started by owners John and Marnie Nicholson in 1991.  The business, started in a friend’s basement and has become a 20-year centerpiece of the community.

Arlington County School Board member Emma Violand-Sanchez downplayed the effort by Allen to use Rubio to reach out to Latino voters in Northern Virginia.

“During his last term in the Senate, George Allen was no friend to Latino families and businesses,” Violand-Sanchez said. “He supported President Bush’s policies that ran a booming economy into the ground, turning a record surplus into massive deficits and adding $3 trillion to our national debt.  He voted for the largest student loan cuts in U.S. history, pushing an affordable education that is critical to the American Dream, further out of reach.

“When some Republicans showed a willingness to compromise on immigration reform, George Allen refused.  He put his own political ambitions ahead of what was best for our economy and our community.  In his re-election campaign, he’s shown that he would employ exactly the same policies that hurt our businesses, our children, and our communities. It is clear that Latinos in Virginia cannot trust George Allen to find common ground to solve our fiscal or immigration challenges because he derailed progress at every turn the last time he was in Washington. We simply can’t afford another repeat performance from George Allen.”