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Republican Rick Scott banked on Trump ties in unsuccessful bid to lead the Senate

Published 11/13/2024, 06:08 AM
Updated 11/13/2024, 02:51 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Senator Rick Scott (FL) speaks during Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON -He's a wealthy Floridian who has taken aim at fellow Republicans while pushing to consolidate power in Washington, and his name is not Donald Trump.

Senator Rick Scott fell short in his attempt to lead Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, but his bid exposed underlying tensions between the burn-it-all-down approach of some of Trump's supporters and the tradition-minded lawmakers who will work with him next year.

Scott, 71, is a relative newcomer to the Senate who lacks leadership experience, fundraising clout and personal alliances compared to Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who won the job. 

Scott campaigned as a loyal lieutenant of Trump, banking that outside pressure from Trump allies like Elon Musk would win over his fellow senators.

"I ran for leader with one mission: to fundamentally change how the Senate operates and upend the status quo," he said in a statement after he was eliminated in the first round of closed-door voting.

That would have been a sharp contrast with the current Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, who has had a distant relationship with the once and future president.

Scott has frequently criticized McConnell as too cautious and insufficiently conservative and unsuccessfully challenged him for the job in 2022. 

Scott faced blowback from other Republicans when he oversaw their unsuccessful effort to win a majority in that year's congressional elections, as McConnell said he should have recruited better candidates. Scott also released a policy agenda that proved to be a liability, when Democrats pointed out it would raise taxes and expose the popular Social Security and Medicare benefit programs to cuts.

But Scott had the backing of other hardline conservatives in the Senate who have chafed under McConnell's leadership, as well as influential voices such as Fox News personality Sean Hannity. His ties to Trump doubtless help as well -- Scott was the first senator to attend Trump's criminal hush-money trial in New York this spring, and Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, previously managed one of his campaigns.

"Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump," conservative commentator Tucker Carlson posted on X on Saturday. "Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott."

First elected in 2018, Scott is a relative newcomer to the Senate, unlike Thune and Cornyn, who each have served for about two decades. He was previously Florida governor for two four-year terms, during which he cut spending, expanded school voucher programs and killed a high-speed train proposal, while winning praise for his response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Scott won both governors' races and his first Senate race narrowly, spending tens of millions of dollars of his own money each time. He has a personal fortune of at least $200 million, according to Senate records. 

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Senator Rick Scott (FL) speaks during Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

He easily won reelection to the Senate earlier this month, defeating Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by 56% to 43%.

Before entering politics, Scott founded what would become the nation's largest healthcare company, Columbia/HCA, with 340 hospitals and 285,000 employees. He was forced out during a fraud investigation that eventually led to a $1.7 billion fine, the biggest healthcare penalty in history up to that point.

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