WASHINGTON – Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will give the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday, providing a direct message to a growing Hispanic electorate that shunned the GOP in last year's election.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced the selection of Rubio on Wednesday, calling him a strong advocate of conservative principles.

Rubio will speak after Obama's prime-time address before Congress, offering a counterweight to the president's agenda. The high-profile speech gives Rubio a broad national audience for a party that lacks a true standard-bearer after Obama's re-election.