Presidential candidate Marco Rubio attends South Park fundraiser

Florida senator Marco Rubio made his case to be America's next president to more than 100 Charlotteans Monday night.

The crowd packed into Rooster's restaurant in South Park to hear from the 44-year-old who has consistently polled in the top five of GOP presidential candidates.

Rubio's speech ran the gamut, touching on everything from heath care to US policies that he said were "stuck in the past."

Rubio targeted the younger vote when he touched on higher education, saying it was "too expensive, takes too long and is too out of reach." He outlined a plan to make more vocational programs available to those in high school so they could graduate and be "ready to work."

Rubio also called out students loans calling the issue a "crisis" in America.

"For over 200 and thirty some odd years, each generation of Americans has left their children better off then themselves and now it's our turn. And we all have an obligation to contribute in this regard," Rubio said.

Jackie Penalver was a fan of Rubio's when she lived in Florida and is still a supporter after moving to Charlotte.

"He's so aware of all the issues and he's not your typical older republican. I think he really understands the issues that are important to younger people," Penalver said.

The crowd erupted in cheers when Rubio vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare, saying he will let the people be in charge of their healthcare.

Rubio's wrapped up his speech speaking about national security. He said, if elected, his number one priority will be rebuilding the US military.

When it comes to the Middle East, Rubio said his foreign policy speeches would be a lot shorter if the rest of the region looked like Israel.

"Today, we have a president that treats the Prime Minister of Israel with more respect than the Ayatollah of Iran. What message does that send? Not just to Israel but to our allies around the world?" Rubio asked.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Presidential candidate Marco Rubio attends South Park fundraiser."