Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, having heightened his profile in recent weeks for admonishing the Obama administration over its Cuba policy, has leaped to front of the 2016 pack among Republican voters. A newly released Zogby poll, conducted last weekend, puts the freshman senator in second place in the GOP primary, just behind Mitt Romney and tied with Jeb Bush. Rubio polled at 13 percent - just three points behind front-runner Romney. Among women, he came in first, though, earning 22 percent of female respondents' support. Romney and Rubio attracted 13 percent and 10 percent of women of women respectively. Scroll down for video . Florida Marco Rubio, right, is greeted by colleagues as he arrives to the State of the Union on Tuesday evening. Rubio will play hooky from work next week - likely missing a key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline - to make a national fundraising swing for his expected presidential campaign . The survey was released just as  ABC News revealed that Rubio will play hooky from work next week - likely missing a key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline - to make a national fundraising swing. He's kicking off the week-long campaign effort today in Miami, where he'll meet with 300 donors and supporters to discuss his political future. The Senate seat Rubio holds is due for review in 2016, and the Republican politician has said he won't ask Florida voters to reelect him if he runs for president. He has until May to decide. Rubio suggested on Wednesday that he was still mulling over his options. But an adviser told ABC, 'he has told us to proceed as if he is running for president.' He's bringing on a new fundraiser, as well - Anna Rogers, finance director at Karl Rove's American Crossroads. She'll join Rubio's Reclaim America political action committee on Feb. 1. The freshman senator will participate in a forum on Sunday night hosted by conservative non-profit Freedom Partners, the political arm of Republican mega donors David and Charles Koch. The marquee event of Freedom Partners' winter meeting, the panel will take place in Palm Springs, California, and will consist of Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul - two other presumed Republican presidential candidates - discussing 'American Recovery Policy.' ABC News' Jonathan Karl will moderate, and the event will be livestreamed on the news network's website. Rubio will remain in California after the event to woo donors in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Rancho Sante Fe and Costa Mesa, ABC says, before moving on to Texas and Chicago. The extended fundraising trip will keep Rubio out of the Capitol all next week as colleagues vote on the Keystone XL pipeline. The measure is assured to pass, but President Barack Obama has said he will veto it, and its unclear whether the Senate has the juice to override him. The House passed the legislation earlier this month but not with enough votes to counter a veto. They'll have to take another vote once Obama's officially rejected the legislation. FLASHBACK: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, left, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, right, and then-Congressman Connie Mack, left, are pictured here aboard the campaign plane for then-Republican nominee for president, Mitt Romney, in this 2012 photo. Romney, Bush and Rubio may now find themselves fighting each other for the 2016 nomination . Rubio is planning a nationwide tour to promote his recently released book, American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone. The book tour will conveniently take him to early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina . Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the only Republican to have formally announced his intentions to run for president, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says he's formed a 'testing the waters committee.' But former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum haven't been coy about their presidential ambitions, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has hired a campaign manager. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and businesswoman Carly Fiorina have hired fundraisers for their probable campaigns, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is reportedly staffing up, as well. If Rubio runs for president, as is now expected, he's says he'll rely on his foreign policy expertise to set him apart from competitors with executive experience like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. 'The next president of the United States needs to be someone that has a clear view of what’s happening in the world, a clear strategic vision of America’s role in it, and a clear tactical plan for how to engage America in global affairs,' Rubio said Wednesday at a breakfast in Washington, D.C, hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. 'And I think for governors, that’s going to be a challenge at least initially, because they don’t deal with foreign policy on a daily basis.' Rubio is a member of the Senate foreign relations committee and has hammered President Barack Obama and his administration for negotiating a deal with the Castro regime in Cuba without the knowledge or consent of the Senate. The move precipitated the Zogby poll, which put Rubio 10 points ahead of Perry, Cruz and Paul. He also out-polled New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who was favored by 11 percent of likely Republican primary voters, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, supported by nine percent of respondents, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, six percent and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal with four percent. Candidates polling under one percent were South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez, and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. The poll shows a pathway to the nomination for Rubio, whose chances of winning his home state of Florida in the primary were significantly reduced with fellow Floridan Bush's entry into the 2016 competition. Rubio's said Bush's campaign hasn't effected his own decision-making process. But it may have moved the needle on his fundraising timeline. Bush, now a free man, having pushed most of his day to day responsibilities off of his plate to focus exclusively on his presidential campaign, is about to embark on a 60-event 'shock and awe' donor blitz, the Wall Street Journal reports. The veteran politician hopes to grab all the cash before like-minded and geographically similar opponents officially enter the race, effectively freezing them out. Rubio also has plans for a nationwide tour - to promote his recently released book, American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone. The book tour will conveniently take Rubio to early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. It's tentatively scheduled to begin on Feb. 13 in Des Moines, according to ABC.
Rubio polled at 13 percent - just three points behind front-runner Romney; he earned 22 percent of female respondents' support .
Rubio adviser: 'He has told us to proceed as if he is running for president'; he has until May to decide whether to run for reelection or president .
He will participate in a forum Sunday night in California hosted by a conservative non-profit with likely competitors Rand Paul and Ted Cruz .
The Florida lawmaker will remain in California after the event to woo donors before moving on to Texas and Chicago .
Extended fundraising trip will keep Rubio out of the Capitol all next week as colleagues vote on the Keystone XL pipeline .
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, having heightened his profile in recent weeks for admonishing the Obama administration over its Cuba policy, has leaped to front of the 2016 pack among Republican voters. A newly released Zogby poll, conducted last weekend, puts the freshman senator in second place in the GOP primary, just behind Mitt Romney and tied with Jeb Bush. Rubio polled at 13 percent - just three points behind front-runner Romney. Among women, he came in first, though, earning 22 percent of female respondents' support. Romney and Rubio attracted 13 percent and 10 percent of women of women respectively. Scroll down for video . Florida Marco Rubio, right, is greeted by colleagues as he arrives to the State of the Union on Tuesday evening. Rubio will play hooky from work next week - likely missing a key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline - to make a national fundraising swing for his expected presidential campaign . The survey was released just as  ABC News revealed that Rubio will play hooky from work next week - likely missing a key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline - to make a national fundraising swing. He's kicking off the week-long campaign effort today in Miami, where he'll meet with 300 donors and supporters to discuss his political future. The Senate seat Rubio holds is due for review in 2016, and the Republican politician has said he won't ask Florida voters to reelect him if he runs for president. He has until May to decide. Rubio suggested on Wednesday that he was still mulling over his options. But an adviser told ABC, 'he has told us to proceed as if he is running for president.' He's bringing on a new fundraiser, as well - Anna Rogers, finance director at Karl Rove's American Crossroads. She'll join Rubio's Reclaim America political action committee on Feb. 1. The freshman senator will participate in a forum on Sunday night hosted by conservative non-profit Freedom Partners, the political arm of Republican mega donors David and Charles Koch. The marquee event of Freedom Partners' winter meeting, the panel will take place in Palm Springs, California, and will consist of Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul - two other presumed Republican presidential candidates - discussing 'American Recovery Policy.' ABC News' Jonathan Karl will moderate, and the event will be livestreamed on the news network's website. Rubio will remain in California after the event to woo donors in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Rancho Sante Fe and Costa Mesa, ABC says, before moving on to Texas and Chicago. The extended fundraising trip will keep Rubio out of the Capitol all next week as colleagues vote on the Keystone XL pipeline. The measure is assured to pass, but President Barack Obama has said he will veto it, and its unclear whether the Senate has the juice to override him. The House passed the legislation earlier this month but not with enough votes to counter a veto. They'll have to take another vote once Obama's officially rejected the legislation. FLASHBACK: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, left, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, right, and then-Congressman Connie Mack, left, are pictured here aboard the campaign plane for then-Republican nominee for president, Mitt Romney, in this 2012 photo. Romney, Bush and Rubio may now find themselves fighting each other for the 2016 nomination . Rubio is planning a nationwide tour to promote his recently released book, American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone. The book tour will conveniently take him to early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina . Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the only Republican to have formally announced his intentions to run for president, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says he's formed a 'testing the waters committee.' But former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum haven't been coy about their presidential ambitions, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has hired a campaign manager. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and businesswoman Carly Fiorina have hired fundraisers for their probable campaigns, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is reportedly staffing up, as well. If Rubio runs for president, as is now expected, he's says he'll rely on his foreign policy expertise to set him apart from competitors with executive experience like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. 'The next president of the United States needs to be someone that has a clear view of what’s happening in the world, a clear strategic vision of America’s role in it, and a clear tactical plan for how to engage America in global affairs,' Rubio said Wednesday at a breakfast in Washington, D.C, hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. 'And I think for governors, that’s going to be a challenge at least initially, because they don’t deal with foreign policy on a daily basis.' Rubio is a member of the Senate foreign relations committee and has hammered President Barack Obama and his administration for negotiating a deal with the Castro regime in Cuba without the knowledge or consent of the Senate. The move precipitated the Zogby poll, which put Rubio 10 points ahead of Perry, Cruz and Paul. He also out-polled New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who was favored by 11 percent of likely Republican primary voters, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, supported by nine percent of respondents, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, six percent and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal with four percent. Candidates polling under one percent were South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez, and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. The poll shows a pathway to the nomination for Rubio, whose chances of winning his home state of Florida in the primary were significantly reduced with fellow Floridan Bush's entry into the 2016 competition. Rubio's said Bush's campaign hasn't effected his own decision-making process. But it may have moved the needle on his fundraising timeline. Bush, now a free man, having pushed most of his day to day responsibilities off of his plate to focus exclusively on his presidential campaign, is about to embark on a 60-event 'shock and awe' donor blitz, the Wall Street Journal reports. The veteran politician hopes to grab all the cash before like-minded and geographically similar opponents officially enter the race, effectively freezing them out. Rubio also has plans for a nationwide tour - to promote his recently released book, American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone. The book tour will conveniently take Rubio to early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. It's tentatively scheduled to begin on Feb. 13 in Des Moines, according to ABC.
and tied with Jeb Bush. Rubio polled at 13 percent - just three points behind front-runner earning 22 percent of female respondents' support. Romney and Rubio attracted 13 percent runs for president. He has until May to decide. ABC, 'he has told us to proceed as if he is will participate in a forum on Sunday night hosted by conservative non-profit Freedom will remain in California after the event to woo on to Texas and Chicago. The extended fundraising trip will keep Rubio out of the Capitol all next week as colleagues vote on the Keystone XL intentions to run for president, and South