Washington: Republican Senator Marco Rubio from the state of Florida announced his decision to enter the 2016 US presidential race.

"I announce my candidacy to the presidency," said the 43-year- old Senator from Freedom Tower in the city of Miami, Florida on Monday evening, Xinhua reported.

"Yesterday is over. And we are never going back," Rubio said in front of a banner with the slogan "A New American Century."

Earlier on Monday, Rubio told top donors in a conference call that he is running for the US president, saying that he feels " uniquely qualified" to be president and criticized Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as "a letter from yesterday."