At a press conference yesterday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio said he would not run for re-election to the Senate, nor would he run for governor in 2018. He also scotched any notion that he would accept the vice presidential nomination from any candidate.

Wall Street Journal:

Florida bars candidates from running for two offices at once, and Mr. Rubio in starting his presidential campaign was effectively giving up his Senate seat. But the official registration deadline in Florida isn’t until June 24, allowing Mr. Rubio an opening into the race.

The race for his seat is already crowded, with six contenders who have raised more than $13 million total. Mr. Rubio’s spotty attendance record in the Senate was an issue in the presidential campaign, and could have resurfaced in a re-election bid.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Rubio showed no interest in staying on the campaign trail, either. Asked whether he would consider being Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s vice presidential running mate, were he to clinch the nomination, Mr. Rubio responded, “I’m not going to be anybody’s vice president. I’m not interested in being vice president.” He also said he was not planning to run for governor of Florida. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2018.

Mr. Rubio also offered some parting shots at front-runner Donald Trump, saying he hoped Republicans would coalesce around one of the two remaining Trump alternatives—Mr. Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. “Hopefully there’s time to still prevent a Trump nomination, which I think would fracture the party and be damaging to the conservative movement,” he said.

I think Rubio made a mistake in announcing his near term political plans so soon after a bruising, emotional, and hard fought campaign. He probably should have kept his options open, at least on a Senate run. By June, it may be that the Republicans are desperate to keep that Florida Senate seat and Rubio may offer the best chance in that regard.

And he could have easily said that 2018 was too far away to think about today. The point being, an experienced politician never closes the door entirely, The world turns, circumstances change, politics becomes more fluid. Of course, Rubio could change his mind, but at a cost to his credibility.

In essence, the press conference revealed Rubio's weakness as a national candidate; too young, too inexperienced to succeed. No one doubts he is a charistmatic, talented politician who has demonstrated some admirable attributes on the campaign trail. But there is no substitute for experience and Rubio needs to continue to learn the political game if he is going to re-emerge as a national figure.