Rubio to Woo NY Jews at High Dollar Fundraiser

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is expected to come to New York on Wednesday, October 14, to attend a high-dollar fundraiser headlined by several Republican Jewish Coalition board members.

The event is hosted by Phil Rosen at his offices on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and costs $1,000 per person or $2,700 for a hosting role, according to the invitation obtained by Jewish Insider. Ben Heller, a philanthropist from Lawrence, NY, is signed on as a co-host.

Rosen, a co-chair of Weil Gotshal’s real estate practice, officially endorsed Rubio and signed on as a foreign policy advisor for the campaign in late June. He is one of the leading bundlers in presidential politics. According to two sources, it is believed that Rosen raised around $5 million for Mitt Romney in 2012. Rosen is also close with Sheldon Adelson, with whom he serves on the boards of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and Birthright Israel.

Rubio is considered the frontrunner in what has been dubbed as the ‘Adelson primary’ – a favorite to win the coveted endorsement of the Vegas casino mogul, as well as in the Paul Singer sweepstakes.

The Florida Senator is currently polling in the top 5 places among registered Republicans following his performance at the 2nd televised debate. Out of the 15 Republican presidential candidates, Rubio is seen as the most favorable Republican hopeful, registering at an 11 point negative rating (40/51 fav/unfav) among Jewish voters in New York, compared to a 30+ negative ratings for most of the GOP candidates.