Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is on the offensive after he rebuffed Jeb Bush in the GOP presidential debate.

Rubio says he “feels pretty confident” after seeming to neutralize Bush. Bush called for him to resign his Senate seat because Rubio is missing votes to campaign.

The testy exchange between the former allies from Florida was a highlight of the third GOP debate. The two candidates are competing for many of the same donors and party activists.

But Rubio downplays the rivalry, telling ABC’S “Good Morning America” he has admiration for Bush and wants only to discuss policy differences.

The senator instead criticized Democratic favorite Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying she represents “big-government ideas of the past.”

(AP)