Marco Rubio's opponents treating him like the front-runner

Everyone who is anyone in the 2016 presidential race is attacking Marco Rubio.

The Floridian isn't leading in any of the most-watched GOP primary polls — national, Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina. Yet with first votes less than six weeks away, he is being treated almost as if he is the front-runner. Almost daily, Rubio is taking fire from Republican rivals and their super PACs, critics in the conservative, liberal and mainstream media, and the Democrats — multidirectional hits that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton are being subjected to.

"Rubio is the biggest threat to every major candidate in both parties," said Jim Dornan, a Republican consultant in Washington who is not aligned with any candidate. "His campaign's challenge is to not let these attacks throw them off their game plan."