Marco Rubio 2016 News: Rubio Declares Presidential Bid, Third Republican to Join Race

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has announced his presidential bid, labelling himself as a Republican who can be the leader of a "new American century."

Rubio is now the third official Republican candidate, after senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Rubio described the upcoming polls as a "generational choice," calling himself a candidate with a fresh perspective and ideas, USA Today reported on Monday.

"Today, grounded by the lessons of our history and inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America," the senator said.

"This election is not just about what laws we will pass," he said. "It is a generational choice about the kind of country we will be."

In his speech, Rubio – a critic of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of the state – promised to implement a robust foreign policy, fix the tax code and immigration laws, cut spending, and repeal Obamacare. He said more is at stake than the current issues.

He criticized Clinton, who declared her candidacy last Sunday, as a "leader from yesterday" whose campaign is "promising to take us back to yesterday."

Rubio also told supporters at Miami's Freedom Tower, a federal processing center for Cuban immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, that the American dream of his Cuban-born parents, who worked as a bartender and a maid, is becoming out of reach because "too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century."

Noting his humble beginnings, Rubio credited the American exceptionalism for making his quest for presidency even possible.

"In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful. But I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege," he said.