Donald Trump and Ben Carson are still dominating the polls, but many in the crowded Republican presidential race are now launching attacks on the candidate who seems poised to be their next major threat: Marco Rubio.

The freshman Florida senator has seen small but steady gains in the polls, attention from major donors and a growing collection of endorsements, especially after a well-received performance in last week’s GOP debate. That has quickly made him a prime target for criticism from his rivals, especially Trump and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

During a news conference Tuesday in Manhattan, Trump called Rubio “overrated,” accused him of being “a disaster with his credit cards” and attacked him as “very weak” on immigration. At the same time, Bush — whose campaign has disparagingly labeled Rubio as a “GOP Obama” — doubled down on criticizing Rubio for missing more than a third of his Senate votes this year.

“People that are serving need to show up and work,” Bush said on CNN. “Period. Over and out.”

For months, Rubio has avoided direct confrontations with his rivals. His top aides have long worried about peaking too early, preferring to crest just before the first nominating contest on Feb. 1 in Iowa. The latest attacks bring a new level of attention and scrutiny to the 44-year-old senator’s below-the-radar campaign that could throw off his timeline.

Read the article “The Republican Field Has a New Target: Marco Rubio” on washingtonpost.com.