TheChat: Marco Rubio edges away from a Senate re-election campaign

Happy Memorial Day.

▪ “Unlikely.” — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on the prospect of seeking re-election to his Senate seat.

Republicans are facing a five-way primary race and are worried the seat could flip to the Democrats. Rubio has expressed interest in working in the private sector.

▪ “We also recognize the need to give people their money back.” — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on the need to speed up the processing of tax returns.

Returns are now taking eight to 10 weeks to process, and Nixon wants things to move more quickly while safeguarding against fraud. He’s authorized the Revenue Department to implement overtime and add staffing if needed.

▪ “I wanted to inform you that I will be sponsoring a resolution that will run on sine die supporting student privacy and urging Attorney General Schmidt to join the multi-state lawsuit.” — Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle on President Obama’s federal directive to schools on treatment of transgender students.

The Senate will debate the resolution on Wednesday on the largely ceremonial last day of the 2016 session. Wagle has called the president’s directive an example of federal overreach.

▪ “Whatever reason he does it, it is setting Americans against Americans. It is a recipe for more divisiveness at a time where we must be united.” — Hillary Clinton on Donald Trump last week in California.

While she has struggled to find her voice in her ongoing battle with Bernie Sanders, Clinton seems more comfortable taking on Trump. From a CNN story: In speech after speech across the Golden State, Clinton delivered a fiery, point-by-point takedown of the real estate magnate, casting him as a greedy bully who was eager to profit from the financial woes of the middle class Americans who lost homes and jobs in the 2008 economic crash.