As the 2016 presidential campaigns start to gear up, candidates will inevitably portray themselves in the most positive of light, and in the case of Republican candidates, as the best thing for the country and the complete opposite of President Barack Obama.

Recently, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, sat down with the editorial board of an Iowa newspaper to talk about his candidacy. Rubio said the experience he has makes him a better candidate than Barack Obama was eight years ago.  Rubio said this:

"I'm running for office with much more experience and qualifications than Barack Obama had when he ran."

PolitiFact Florida rated Rubio's claim HALF TRUE. Reporter Joshua Gillin says it all comes down to how you define "experience and qualifications."

"Both of these candidates are remarkably similar in these presidential runs, both Obama for 2008 and Rubio for 2016," Gillin said. "They're both lawyers, and they both have, or will have, very similar amounts of political experience. Rubio does get the edge because, by November 2016, he will have had two more years in the Senate than Obama did. Rubio also had eight years in the Florida Legislature, as did Obama in the Illinois Legislature. Also, Rubio served a few years as a city commissioner in West Miami."

Gillin said that it's the experience outside of politics that tells another part of the story.

"When we talk about personal experience outside of elected office, Obama has the edge because he did so many more things," Gillin said. "Barack Obama was a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, he was a community organizer, he ran a voter registration drive, and he was practicing law.  Marco Rubio is a lawyer and did practice law, but that was the extent of what he did before he was put in to elected office."

Gillin says Rubio may have an edge when it comes to the number of years in politics he's served, but non-political experience is important. And in that case, Obama has the edge, leading PolitiFact to rate Rubio's claim HALF TRUE.

 

SOURCES: Rubio more experienced than Obama?