Add U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to the growing list of Republicans who are running for president in 2016.

Rubio officially became the third Republican to announce his intention to run Monday evening at an event in front of more than 1,000 supporters at the Freedom Tower in Miami.

“Grounded by the lessons of our history, and inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America,” Rubio said to many cheers.

Rubio’s intention to run was first made official Monday morning on a conference call with his biggest donors and supporters.

Rubio presented himself as a leader who can create a “New American Century” that would help those struggling to get ahead.

“I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege,” Rubio said, citing his parents who came from Cuba and were successful.

“Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American Century,” Rubio added.

Rubio, 43, is the junior senator from Florida, serving his first term since 2011. Rubio, a Cuban American, worked as a city commissioner in West Miami in the 1990s before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he would eventually become Speaker.

His announcement may have been overshadowed by Hillary Clinton’s campaign announcement on Sunday, but Mack Shelley, professor of political science, said he is not surprised by the timing of Rubio’s announcement because several of his Senate colleagues have already jumped in.

“Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday. “Yesterday is over and we’re never going back,” Rubio said in his speech, taking a swipe at Clinton.

Rubio’s name began to float around as a potential presidential candidate in 2013 when he gave the official Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

He was also a member of the Senate “gang of eight,” which crafted immigration reform legislation in 2013. The legislation provided a pathway to citizenship for a group of illegal immigrants.

It passed the Senate, but Rubio later shifted his position on the legislation, which he helped write.

“I think he sort of got the memo that being opposed to immigration reform is a better strategy for most Republican candidates [in the primary],” Shelley said. “At the same time, he’s pretty well positioned to appeal to Hispanics with his ancestral background connected to Cuba.”

Rubio joins what will likely become a crowded field of Republican candidates. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., are the only two Republicans to join the race as of now. Clinton is the only Democrat to declare their candidacy so far, but more Democrats and Republicans are expected to join in the coming months.