Could Rick Scott replace Mitch McConnell? The race for Senate GOP leader is heating up

As Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate in this year's election, discussions over who will replace outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, have come into greater focus.

The new GOP majority will be tasked with selecting a caucus leader after it is sworn in on Jan. 3, as McConnell announced earlier this year that he would step down from office in the new term.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott has renewed his push for the leadership post after Republicans flipped four seats from Democrats in this year's election, falling short of a potential supermajority.

Scott, a Trump-backed candidate elected to a second term this week, reiterated his intent and belief that he will be the next Senate majority leader on Wednesday, telling Fox News: “I will win.”

“I talked to my Republican colleagues, guess what. They want change,” Scott said. “They know Trump has a mandate, they want to be part of that mandate. They want to be treated as equals.”

A report from Axios published Friday said Republican President-elect Donald Trump privately rejected Scott as an option weeks ago and told his allies that the senator's offer was “not serious.”

A senior Trump campaign official disputed the report and dismissed the anonymous sources cited by Axios. He said Trump “has not commented on the leadership race and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.”

Some Trump-aligned allies see Scott as a viable option, which the senator has translated into public support for Trump.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Utah Sen. Mike Lee have publicly endorsed Scott as an option and urged Trump to do the same. During a recent interview with conservative talk radio host Jesse Kelly, Johnson called Scott an “extraordinary human being, extremely successful in the business world, extremely successful governor of Florida” who “turned around” and “set” this state [Florida Governor] Ron DeSantis is on the road to success.

“Jesse, if you have influence over President Trump, get Trump to say publicly that he wants to work with someone as successful as Rick Scott to achieve his agenda,” Johnson said, emphasizing that Republicans “have to deliver”. “while in the majority.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson called Scott out

Dustin Grage, town hall columnist and self-proclaimed “Minnesota GOP hype man,” also supported Scott, writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that while he is “not the biggest fan of Rick Scott,” he believes he is “the best among them.” those who are running” and “any pragmatic conservative would take it.” [Senator John] Tuna or [Senator John] Cornyn.

Scott's communications director McKinley Lewis said in a statement shared with Politico that “as Senate Republican leader, Senator Scott will bring Florida's successful conservative record to Washington and be a true ally of President Trump in executing his agenda and fundamentally changing direction.” “Country.”

Scott's team also released a number of other endorsements, including Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, who is credited with playing a major role in driving away Trump voters. Other endorsements came from former Secret Service agent and now conservative radio host Dan Bongino and conservative activist and commentator Laura Loomer, as well as Johnson and RNC committeewoman Amy Kremer.

Scott's campaign responded via email to a Newsweek requested comment on Saturday, pointing to his website and posts on X, which have received millions of views and tens of thousands of likes and shares.

A post asking for shares “if you're ready for a conservative Senate Majority Leader who will work to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” had over 16,000 repeats as of Saturday afternoon.

Similar to the presidential election, which remained close until Election Day, the race to replace McConnell as Republican Senate leader features several candidates who have all fought hard for the position, with no single candidate having a prominent advantage so far.

Other candidates who have staked claim to the leadership role include South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who currently serves as minority leader; Texas Senator John Cornyn; and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. Thune is seen by many as the front-runner, while Barrasso is highly rated as the third-ranking Republican in the Senate.

In his diatribe against McConnell on Saturday, Carlson criticized the Senate leader's options over Scott, calling Cornyn “an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney's.”

He wrote: “Mitch McConnell is staging a coup against his agenda by calling an early leadership election in the Senate. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and his candidacy.”

Cornyn previously served as party chairman during Trump's first term and helped push his agenda. He often cited his experiences in this process to help him learn “what works and what doesn't” in order to “restore our institution to the essential role it deserves.” our constitutional republic.”

Meanwhile, McConnell told reporters on Wednesday that he attributed the Senate Republican victory to the “quality of the candidates,” adding: “If you're looking for a simple answer, I think it's partly a referendum on the current one.” government was. People just weren't happy with this administration and the Democratic nominee was part of that.”

Updated 11/9/24 at 1:52 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comments about Scott's campaign and additional information.

Updated 11/9/24 at 4:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.