Marco Rubio, getting grief for his no-show status in the U.S. Senate, is nevertheless now favored by most of the oddsmakers.

Jeb Bush, getting grief for griping about how unpleasant it is to campaign, has fallen to second place among this group, with Donald Trump in third.

Big donors who wrote big checks to Bush’s “Right to Rise” Super PAC are now exercising their right to leave the Bush camp and support his protegé, Rubio.

Does this mean that the one-time sponsor of the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill is merely a younger, more affable, Hispanic carbon copy of Jeb? Or would he seek to work with conservatives and return to what many of us thought were his more conservative roots?

When Rubio was running in his senate primary challenge against liberal Republican Charlie Crist, I was one of his early supporters. The first time he came on my show he was 23 points behind, and I was ecstatic when he won.

After our disagreements on immigration, he hasn’t been on my radio show much in the past four years, which is a shame because I think (modestly) that I could have helped him.

The door is still open for a Rubio to return to the airwaves with me. He would be welcomed as an old friend with respect, and I would treat him like the serious candidate that he is. My listeners would love to hear from him.

But since I don’t think that will happen any time soon, I’m submitting my questions in writing so that perhaps other journalists he speaks to will ask them, in order to help GOP voters understand Rubio’s stance on the issues many of them care about.

  1. Other than Common Core, are there any significant policy differences between you and Bush? If so, what are they?
  2. Are there any significant policy differences between you and the Chamber of Commerce? If so, what are they?
  3. Are there any significant policy differences between you and Mitch McConnell? If so, what are they?
  4. What was the biggest mistake made by the George W. Bush administration in the area of foreign policy?
  5. What was the biggest mistake made by the George W. Bush administration in the area of domestic policy?
  6. Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership? If so, can you explain how the TPP will raise the standard of living for blue-collar workers in the United States?
  7. Sen. Jeff Sessions has argued that our policy of essentially limitless immigration has driven down wages for blue-collar workers in this country. Is he right? If not, why not?
  8. What are three things the federal government could do to raise wages for blue-collar workers in this country?
  9. You have suggested that the United States undertake a much more aggressive foreign policy in the Middle East. Would you be willing to raise taxes to pay for that policy? If not, how do you plan to pay for your plans?
  10. Since the early 1990s, the U.S. government has consistently supported the notion that China’s “peaceful rise” is good for Americans and the rest of the world. Do you believe that policy has been successful? If not, how do you think it should be changed?