Rubio's father falls ill

Florida U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R) on Tuesday announced he is rescheduling a pending campaign trip because his father has been diagnosed with another bout of lung cancer.

Rubio, who is running against Gov. Charlie Crist for the GOP nomination for the seat formerly held by retired Sen. Mel Martinez (R), issued this statement: "Unfortunately, my father, Mario Rubio, has been diagnosed with a recurrence of lung cancer. This will require me to return to South Florida. We are in the process of rescheduling some of the coming days’ events and look forward to continuing our conversation with voters in these communities in the near future."

Rubio's revised schedule includes three stops next Tuesday in The Villages, followed by stops in Belleview and St. Augustine on Wednesday. Subsequent stops are being rescheduled.