Rick Scott Warns McConnell Not to 'Trash Talk' GOP Senate Candidates: 'You Hurt Our Chances of Winning'
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is defending a slate of Republican Senate candidates as Democrats reportedly feel more optimistic about their chances of keeping control of the chamber in November.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters earlier this month that he believes Republicans have a better chance of flipping control of the House than the Senate. He pointed some of the blame at the “quality” of the Senate hopefuls.
However, speaking to Politico, Scott — the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — told Politico, “Sen. McConnell and I clearly have a strategic disagreement here … We have great candidates.”
New: Rick Scott tires of Republicans' doubting his Senate candidates
“Sen. McConnell and I clearly have a strategic disagreement here … We have great candidates," he says in interview "It’s important that we’re all cheerleaders for our candidates.”https://t.co/9jTNkYmrhn
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) September 1, 2022
“He wants to do the same thing I want to do: I want to get a majority. And I think it’s important that we’re all cheerleaders for our candidates,” he continued.
The outlet notes, “Across the map, Republicans are worried about blowing an opportunity to flip the 50-50 Senate. J.D. Vance is struggling to fend off Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio, Herschel Walker is lagging behind Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mehmet Oz is trailing Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in Pennsylvania and Republicans are starting to bail on Blake Masters’ challenge to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).”
“But it is only September, and both parties expect races to tighten races and political spending to skyrocket,” it added.
Politico also notes that Scott “praised each of those candidates.”
“If you trash talk our candidates … you hurt our chances of winning, and you hurt our candidates’ ability to raise money,” the Florida senator said.
He went on, “I know they’re good candidates, because I’ve been talking to them and they’re working their butts off.”
Scott also said there are “good candidates in other states, like Connecticut,” and stipulated that “it just depends on what the environment’s gonna be.”
Speaking on Aug. 18, McConnell said, “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate.”
“Senate races are just different, they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” he added.
MCCONNELL in KY asked for his midterm projections: "I think there's probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different, they're statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome."
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) August 18, 2022
David Bergstein, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Politico about Scott’s comments, “We know Rick’s been yachting in Europe so we’re happy to catch him up.”
“His flunky candidates are still failing, his party’s position on abortion is still unpopular, and his fellow Republicans are still openly complaining about his self-serving, failed leadership of the NRSC,” he added.
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