Rubio Repeats: I Don't Want GOP's VP Nomination

Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the party’s rising stars, has said repeatedly that he’s not interested in running for vice president in 2012, and he reiterated that view Monday. "No, and I don't spend any time thinking about it," Rubio said on 92.5 Radio in Fort Myers when asked if he would consider occupying the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket, The Hill reports.

"I'm flattered that people would ask that question, because I think they mean it in a complimentary way. But, by the same token, I recognize that this job — this one job that I wanted, I wanted to be a U.S. senator, not a vice presidential candidate, not a presidential candidate," Rubio added. "I didn't run to use it as a steppingstone, I ran because I wanted to be a U.S. senator."

Regardless of that, some Republicans find his hard-nosed, intellectually based conservatism quite appealing, so he probably can expect them to come knocking on his door periodically.