When I moved to Florida several years ago, one of my greatest joys was getting to vote for Marco Rubio to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. It was exciting to support such a bold, courageous, visionary young leader. I loved taking on the establishment in Florida and doing my part to help Marco beat the odds. I had hope and confidence in him. I believed that he would help us take our country back from insane and immoral policies that are bankrupting our children’s future.

But Senator Rubio betrayed me.

He betrayed the army of conservatives across our beautiful state who believed he would work to secure our borders, end the abuse of our welfare system by illegal immigrants, and do right by the immigrants who played by the rules and came here legally.

Instead of standing up for the American worker and the rule of law, Senator Rubio’s first great act in DC was to join arms with the most radically liberal U.S. senators in his effort to do exactly the opposite of what he told us he would do.

The young senator who charmed Florida voters became not just part of the Washington cartel, good-ol’-boys-business-as-usual club, he became best buddies with the likes of Senator Chuck Schumer.

And now, after having the worst absentee voting record in the U.S, Senate, Rubio wants Floridians to trust him with our future again.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” I refuse to be shamed by supporting Rubio again.

Rubio’s new immigration rhetoric, at first glance, seems to indicate that he now realizes the error of his ways. But if you listen closely, you hear a man who has become a slick talker.

Marco Rubio does not apologize for betraying us. He does not say he erred in being a champion for blanket amnesty; he only indicates that his timing was off. He says that as president, he would first secure the borders, and when pressed on the amnesty question, he says he will have to see what the American people can stomach.

Please hear what he is really saying: Senator Rubio still has the goal to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. As president, he would champion the failed and foolish cause once again, but from a much larger platform.

While Senator Rubio tries to wiggle out of his record of broken promises, no one seems to consider this: what would the American economy look like had he been successful as the General of the Gang of Eight? And how many more millions of illegal immigrants would have poured across the border in the last few years once the news spread that the American welfare system was a free-for-all?

When asked about his failure to uphold his duties to Floridians by merely showing up to vote in the Senate, he again has no regrets or apologies. “I’m not running for Senate again,” he says defiantly, as if he doesn’t know he is still one of two U.S. Senators who are currently charged with representing the good people of Florida.

Two years after Senator Rubio was sworn into office, another new young senator filled with promise also took the oath to uphold the Constitution. Ted Cruz was a bright young star that conservatives across Texas, just as those in Florida had, elected against all odds and sent to Washington to take America back. But while Marco betrayed those who elected him, Ted kept every promise, and then some.

It was Ted Cruz who fought and led the charge for religious freedom, parental rights, and oh, yes, to defeat the massive amnesty scheme of Senator Rubio. Ted Cruz fought the establishment and the liberals on every front, and saved Floridians from the devastation that our own senator’s actions would have wreaked on our state and nation.

When Senator Rubio failed me, Ted Cruz represented me — not as a Floridian, per se, but as an American. That’s why I’m honored to now be a volunteer national co-chair of Women for Ted Cruz.

When Ted Cruz stood up to Marco Rubio and the Washington cartel, he stood up for me. Before becoming a senator, when Ted Cruz argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to fight to keep the ACLU from forcing a cross to be removed from a veteran’s memorial, he won that case. And when he won religious freedom for the vets, he won it for me too.

Whether it is fighting to protect our Second Amendment rights, or parental rights, or the sanctity of human life, Ted Cruz fights for all of us. And he’s the only one I trust to appoint Supreme Court Justices who will uphold the integrity of our Constitution.

When Tuesday arrives and Florida Republicans get to choose who they will support for the GOP nominee, I hope we all stop and reflect on the fact that in just 30 short days Tax Day will roll around. Then imagine that day next year when President Ted Cruz and his 10 percent across-the-board tax plan is a reality. The Cruz tax plan will free hard-working Americans from the onerous burden of oppressive, nonsensical government forms and robbery; eliminate unfair loopholes, and spur economic growth. And best of all, think about how glorious it will be when President Cruz abolishes the IRS!  

And as a former military wife (my husband, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, is retired from the Navy Reserves), I trust Ted Cruz with the lives of our men and women in uniform. As Commander-in-Chief, he will rebuild the infrastructure they so desperately need to succeed; he will untie the hands of our service members when they are in harm’s way and allow them to aggressively fight; he will only send them into battles that protect U.S. interests; and he will equip and enable our armed forces to utterly destroy ISIS. Just as importantly, he will take care of our veterans, treating them with the honor and services they deserve.

While Marco Rubio inspires with empty words, Ted Cruz inspires through solid policies and courageous deeds.

Rubio’s dismal results in the race so far show that this is not his time. But the Ted Cruz surge is just taking off, and national polling shows that in a head-to-head battle with Trump, Cruz wins. Equally as important, polling as recent as this week reveals that in head-to-head battle with Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz beats her soundly. I hope Floridians will join me in delivering Florida for Ted Cruz and, thus, placing him and conservative principles on the final victory road to the White House.