Marco Rubio, who served more than a dozen years in the Senate, was unanimously confirmed on Jan. 20 to be President Donald Trump’s secretary of state. Rubio ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and has since become a loyal supporter. But in recent days he has butted heads with Elon Musk over management of the State Department.

Who is he?

Rubio, 53, started his political career as a lawyer before entering politics as a member of the West Miami City Commission in 1998. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2000 and became speaker in 2006. He left the state House in 2008 and won his first Senate race two years later. Rubio was considered a strong contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, but suspended his campaign in March after losing Florida to Trump. He continued to serve in the Senate until winning confirmation as the first Latino secretary of state in January. 

Follow the money

• Rubio raised $52,3 million during his 2016 presidential campaign while outside groups supporting his candidacy raised over $110 million. Among the largest contributors were Norman Braman, a longtime supporter and owner of a luxury car dealer in Florida who contributed more than $7.2 million with his wife, and Peter Singer, president of the investment firm Elliot Management, who contributed more than $5 million.
• Vox described Rubio as “the dark money candidate,” as a group called the Conservative Solution Project did not disclose its donors while paying for $85 million in television ads that supported Rubio’s presidential campaign. The Campaign Legal Center, an elections watchdog, said the Conservative Solution Project was breaking the law by airing ads that supported Rubio while being registered as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt social welfare group that is not allowed to favor a candidate. 
• Rubio was one of the top recipients of money from the oil and gas industry in 2015 and 2016. He received $975,000, a little less than his opponents Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton and Ted Cruz. 
• According to government records, Rubio still owes vendors more than $800,000 for marketing, media production, consulting, legal fees and web services for his presidential campaign. 
• Rubio raised $21,500 during his initial state House campaign in 2000. His 2004 campaign raised $288,000 and during his last run in 2006, Rubio raised $234,000 – more than 10 times the amount received during his first campaign. 
• Rubio’s Senate campaign committee raised more than $50.2 million during his last election cycle. Among his top contributors were individuals who donated through the Pro-Israel America PAC ($104,800), The Villages ($78,405), and the Republican Jewish Coalition ($72,736). 
• According to his financial disclosure report, Rubio has a mortgage valued between $500,001 and $1 million, a credit card loan between $10,001 and $15,000 and a personal loan between $15,001 and $50,000. The corresponding values of his homeownings are not included in the report. Rubio received $20,784 from Florida International University for a position as an adjunct professor, a contract he will not continue as secretary of state. He reported between $15,001 and $50,000 income in royalties for his book “Decades of Decadence: How Our Spoiled Elites Blew America’s Inheritance of Liberty, Security, and Prosperity.” Rubio also reported an income of between $2,002 and $30,000 in combined shares in Coca Cola and Cisco, both of which he said to have divested. He earned $174,000 per year as a senator.

Why does it matter?

• As secretary of state, Rubio carries out Trump’s foreign policy agenda. Rubio can influence international trade, market access and regulatory environments for international businesses, among others — an especially influential position as Trump levies tariffs against trading partners. For his first trip as secretary of state, Rubio traveled to Central America to talk about tariffs, migration, drug trafficking and the Panama Canal after Trump threatened to retake it. Rubio said that Trump believes Chinese influence in the canal is violating neutrality, which the treaty between the U.S. and Panama requires. The American investment company BlackRock recently announced it would buy two ports at both ends of the Panama Canal from the Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison. 
• He was appointed acting administrator for USAID in February, where he announced plans to cancel the majority of its programs on March 10. 
• Rubio has extensive experience working on foreign affairs as a senator and is known for his criticism of China and Russia. He wrote the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a law supporting the human rights of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region, and he co-led the Hong Kong Relations Act to enforce pressure on the Chinese government through sanctions. As secretary of state, Rubio participates in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He recently headed to Saudi Arabia to discuss the ending of the war with Ukrainian officials, after a fall-out between Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. Although Rubio has been known for his stark criticism towards the Kremlin throughout his career, he now seems to have realigned his positions with Trump’s softer stance regarding Russia.
• Rubio is also an important actor in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Rubio has been a vocal Israel supporter throughout his career, a position that has not changed since he was appointed to the Cabinet. Rubio recently signed an emergency declaration, bypassing Congress, that provides $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. In February, Rubio said that Gaza is “not habitable” and people have to relocate while the region is rebuilt. Trump has suggested the United States permanently remove people from Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” — which sparked widespread criticism. 

This article is part of a series examining the role political money has played in the careers of President Donald Trump’s nominees for executive branch positions.

This post was originally published on Original Journalism from OpenSecrets News.