Freshman GOP Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday ruled out the possibility that he would be on the presidential ticket in 2012.

“I’m not going to be the candidate for president or vice president,” the tea party-backed Florida lawmaker said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Rubio’s name has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential contender in 2012, but the Senator has been making clear that he does not intend to run.

When asked Sunday whether he is ready for a presidential or vice presidential campaign, he appeared to leave himself some wiggle room.

“As far as whether we’re prepared, that’s why we have elections in this country,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence and faith in our republic. Our voters almost always get it right, more often than not, quite frankly. And through that election process is where we come to learn whether someone is prepared and whether someone has to answer that question for themselves.”

Rubio has started his Senate term with a low profile, but he recently increased his visibility with a Wall Street Journal opinion piece Wednesday expressing his opposition to raising the debt ceiling. The next day he called on lawmakers to authorize military action in Libya and the removal of leader Moammar Gaddafi.