The Republican primary could widen even further as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is reportedly mulling a bid for the White House.
The report comes from the New York Times’s Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, who cite a pair of sources “familiar with the discussions.”
Scott would mark the fourth Florida Republican to enter the race, joining former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Moreover, he would be the 13th candidate in the growing field, which saw the addition of former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) on Thursday.
However, Scott’s team apparently denied the rumors in a statement to the Times.
“It’s flattering that some have mentioned the possibility of Senator Scott running for President, but as he’s said many times, he’s running for re-election to the Senate,” said Chris Hartline, a senior advisor for the senator.
The report comes as Trump maintains a majority, or near majority, of support in most national polls, while DeSantis regularly lands in second place.
However, Trump faces a pair of indictments that could potentially harm his campaign, and DeSantis fell considerably in polls since the winter when he was highly competitive or beating Trump in many surveys. Now, he often polls closer to the rest of the pack than he does to the 45th president.
Perhaps Scott, who endorsed Trump for president twice and has derided both indictments as political, could see vulnerabilities in the top-performing Republicans and an opening to emerge from the rest of the diverse field of contenders if he is, in fact, weighing Oval Office aspirations.
Scott, 70, chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) last cycle and caught criticism for his early spending strategy after Republicans did not meet expectations and secure a majority in the Senate in the midterm elections. However, criticism was also cast at the spending choices of the Senate Leadership Fund – the Super PAC aligned with Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — which pulled millions out of battleground races in Arizona and New Hampshire at pivotal points.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) now occupies the post of NRSC chairman, which is usually only held for an election cycle by a given senator.
Scott also caused a stir in the Senate while facing criticism after the midterms by launching a failed challenge to McConnell for the top Republican position in the chamber. McConnell reportedly retaliated by booting Scott and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who supported the coup, from the Commerce Committee.
Flashback: Sen. Rick Scott on Florida’s Success, Biden’s Failures
Matt Perdie / Breitbart News
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