Rick Scott announces run for Senate GOP leader, vows to push Trump’s ‘conservative agenda’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., announced that he is running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the U.S. Senate’s Republican leader.
Former President Donald Trump told Scott he’s “excited” that Scott is running for the leadership position, the senator said.
“We’re gonna be the the Senate that helps Donald Trump get his conservative agenda done,” Scott said Wednesday night on Fox News.
“I am a change agent,” he said. “I was a change agent in business, I did turnarounds, I changed Florida and we’re gonna change the Senate.”
“Let’s stand and fight over the border, let’s stand and fight over spending, let’s stand and fight over making sure Israel gets help,” he said.
He committed to working towards no more omnibus spending bills, having a “real” appropriations process and to “figure out how to balance the budget.”
“I balanced the budget every year as governor, we should be able to do it here,” he said. “You have to do it in your personal life.”
Scott took to social media as well to announce his leadership intentions.
“We don’t need minor adjustments, we need a sea change to make Washington work for YOU,” he said. “That’s what I’m fighting for and why I’m running to be the Senate Republican leader.”
McConnell announced that he would be stepping down from the position as minority leader during a speech in February.
McConnell reassured the chamber that he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in roughly two and a half years.
The Kentucky senator has been on the receiving end of several attacks from members of his party and previously faced calls to step down from leadership.
Others have raised concerns about his health as he suffered from a concussion in 2023 and two instances where his face briefly froze while speaking in public.
Since then, Republican Sens. John Cornyn from Texas and John Thune from South Dakota have declared they’re each running for the position.
Scott is running for reelection to his Florida Senate seat in 2024. Polls show him holding a comfortable lead over Democratic opposition.
