Sen. Rubio Says No Way He'll Be on 2012 Ticket

WASHINGTON (AP) — First-term Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida says he won't be on the Republican presidential ticket in 2012 under any circumstances.

Rubio, a favorite of the ultraconservative tea party movement, dismisses talk that he could be persuaded to be a running mate for the Republican nominee or even the party's nominee at the top of the ticket.

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Rubio tells NBC television's "Meet the Press" that he thinks as a senator, he can have an impact on government spending and other issues important to Floridians.

Rubio's name surfaces as a potential running mate in part because he might attract Latino voters to the Republican ticket. But Rubio says he doesn't want to be vice president.

Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles, was elected to the Senate last fall. He turns 40 this month.