Club for Growth endorses Rick Scott for reelection amidst McConnell feud
WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – Major conservative advocacy organization Club for Growth announced their endorsement of Sen. Rick Scott, R-FL, for reelection in 2024.
The endorsement comes amidst Scott’s feud with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, who leads the Republicans in the Senate.
Scott announced his intentions to seek reelection in the Senate in January and said he’s “gonna work hard” even with the GOP’s huge registration advantage in the Sunshine State.
In a statement, the group’s president, David McIntosh, lambasted “other Republicans” for caving “to massive tax-and-spend packages that have strained our economy.”
“Rick Scott is a proven conservative who has promoted economic growth and fought reckless spending in the U.S. Senate,” he said. “Rick Scott has consistently championed small government solutions centered around fiscal responsibility, and because of that he’s faced the unfounded and false attacks of liberal Democrats like President Biden and even establishment Republicans like Leader McConnell.”
The group called out McConnell in their endorsement after the Florida senator got kicked off the Senate Commerce Committee in early 2023.
Scott challenged McConnell for senate minority leader, but ultimately lost.
McConnell also removed Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT.
Scott told the New York Post “this is what happens when you challenge leadership.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” McConnell said after his victory.
“If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me,” Scott told senators before the vote for Senate Republican leadership. “We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against. I do not believe we can simply continue to say the Democrats are radical, which they are. Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values.”
Scott’s challenge came after what many Republicans saw as a disappointing midterm election. The GOP faced major swing state Senate losses in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Other states, like Wisconsin, saw GOP-favored races much closer than expected.
The Florida Senator said his leadership would revitalize Republican performances across the U.S.
“We need to listen to their calls for action and start governing in Washington like we campaign back at home. There is a Republican Party that is alive and well in communities across America. It is time there is one in Washington, D.C., too. That is why I am running to be Republican Leader,” he explained.
Scott and McConnell have been at odds over political strategy for most of 2022. He was the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
