Florida will be an electoral battleground in 2022, with a full complement of statewide races including one for the U.S. Senate.
However, the Senator who is not on the ballot next year will be leading Republican efforts on even a bigger stage.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott will head up the National Republican Senatorial Committee in what is a big year for Republicans, with 21 seats up in the upper chamber.
Scott will have his first test in the coming weeks, with a doubleheader Senate runoff in Georgia that will determine which party controls the Senate in Joe Biden‘s Washington D.C.
Scott vowed that Republicans are “going to win Georgia.” He noted the words of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said “if we can win Georgia, we can change America.”
That won’t happen, Scott said.
The Senator offered a written statement also.
“I’m honored my colleagues entrusted me with this responsibility and I look forward to the challenge. Keeping a Senate majority is vitally important to the future of this country and to preserving the American dream,” Scott said. “Republicans across the nation are fighting for lower taxes, better jobs and opportunity, a secure border and safe communities. We know Democrats want the opposite – socialism, Medicare-for-all, defunding the police and the Green New Deal – and we won’t accept that. I’m confident that our message will continue to resonate with the American people and we won’t stop fighting to make Washington work for all families.”
Scott, who contends he is “not focused” on a run for President in 2024, spent much of the fall “busting [his] butt to raise money to keep the Republican Senate,” with travel across the country serving as a functional shadow campaign for Tuesday’s leadership election.
The Senator ran a two-tracked message in the 2020 campaign, offering rhetorical support for President Trump while being careful to cultivate his national brand.
Scott released two ads ahead of the election, one focused on the short term and another with more long-term messaging from his political committee.
One was a GOTV ad for President Trump, and the second one was more of a personal manifesto, with the Senator saying he was “mad” at rioters and protesters.
To that end, expect the Senator to be a griddle for red meat messaging for the foreseeable future, as his comments on Tuesday that Americans have “lost confidence” in the electoral process in the wake of state-level elections that went against President Trump suggest.
This post originally appeared on Florida Politics.
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.
