The chips are falling into place for failed GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio to shift gears and announce he will run for re-election for the senate.

Rep. David Jolly, one of four of the potentially serious candidates in the GOP contest to replace Rubio, announced Friday he was quitting the race.

“I think the important thing is that if there’s a decision made, it should be made quickly.”

In an interview with CNN’s “New Day,” Jolly indicated the speculation around a Rubio return will probably turn out to be accurate.

The exit by Jolly comes on the heels of an announcement Wednesday from Florida Lt. Governor Carlos López-Cantera, another of the GOP candidates who were in the hunt, that he would dropout of the race if Rubio decided to run.

That leaves Rep. Ron DeSantis as one of the sole GOP contenders to not pledge he would clear the way for Rubio — but even DeSantis gave indications Thursday he would bow out.

“Look, Marco’s a good senator,” DeSantis said in an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

“Had he announced from the beginning that he was going to run for re-election, I would not have run. I would have supported him,” DeSantis continued. “Obviously, if he makes a decision to run, that changes a lot about how I look at the race. But I think the important thing is that if there’s a decision made, it should be made quickly.”

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Democrats have a clear front-runner for the highly contested seat, critical to determining control of the U.S. Senate in the fall, in Rep. Patrick Murphy.

Republican strategist Mercedes Schlapp said Rubio has a great chance of keeping his seat and defeating Murphy.

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“It will be a close race but Rubio is known to be an effective campaigner, communicator, and a strong debater,” she told LifeZette.  “Spending time on the national stage, Rubio will be battle ready to take on Murphy.”

In a June 7 poll released by Democrat-aligned Public Policy Polling Murphy notched a 1-point lead over Rubio.

That is not so much better a starting point than DeSantis would have — a May 11 Quinnipiac Poll also put Desantis 1 point down to Murphy.

Rubio would also enter the contest with roughly $3.3 million banked from his failed presidential bid, the last campaign finance reports showed DeSantis had roughly $3.2 million on hand.

Figures in the Washington Establishment, never hot on DeSantis, are egging Rubio on hard … contributing to the narrative only he could defeat Murphy.

But many figures in the Washington Establishment, never hot on DeSantis, are egging Rubio on hard, stoking the speculation about his possible bid, and contributing to the narrative only he could defeat Murphy.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Roger Wicker called Rubio a likely candidate during a Senate Republicans fundraising call Thursday.

“If they ask me for my advice, I would tell them Marco Rubio puts this [Senate seat] in the lean-Republican column, and that is very important,” Wicker reportedly said.

Schlapp thinks Rubio will be able to build from his position rapidly, saying many Hispanic voters and longtime GOP activists in Florida still have respect for Rubio.

The race is of critical importance in November. Republicans are defending at least six highly endangered incumbents, not counting Florida. Democrats need to net an increase of five seats to take the majority and only face one potential seat loss in Nevada.

Murphy was first elected to Congress in 2012, defeating redistricted conservative hero Col. Allen West.

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Schlapp thinks one of the hardest challenges for Rubio will be navigating his messy relationship with the man atop the Republican ticket in the crucial swing state.

“Rubio will need to be true to himself and explain that he supports his party’s nominee,” Schlapp said. She also suggested there could be benefit to both from a repaired relationship. “Trump can learn from Rubio’s message discipline and his ability to reach out to Hispanics in Florida,” Schlapp said.

Rubio has plenty of time to re-enter, as the filing deadline is June 24 and the Florida primaries are not until August.

“I’ll go home later this week, I’ll have some time with my family,” Rubio said to reporters Wednesday at the Capitol. “If there’s been a change in our status, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.”