Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican senator who will introduce his party’s presidential candidate at the national convention Thursday, predicted Mitt Romney will overcome President Obama’s current lead in Florida and win the state.

“Absolutely, I expect he will,” he told TODAY’s Matt Lauer from the convention floor Wednesday. “I think once the argument is clear about the differences between Republicans and Democrats on the economy, I expect to win Florida.”

Romney currently trails Obama by about 4 percent in a recent poll among voters in Florida, which carries 29 electoral votes.

Rubio, who will speak at the convention Thursday night, had been on Romney’s short list for running mates. His selection as prime-time convention speaker reflects the national profile he enjoys as a conservative Republican.

He predicted Romney will be able to cinch a gender gap over the issue of abortion. Rubio has taken a stronger stance than Romney when it comes to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion but said the disagreement goes beyond the law.

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