(WatchDogReport.org) – Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott is gaining widespread backing from conservatives in his bid to succeed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as the Senate’s Republican leader.
Senator Rick Scott, in his bid to lead the Republicans at the Senate, has called for a time of “dramatic change.” He is set to compete against South Dakota Senator John Thune, who is McConnell’s number two, and Texas Senator John Cornyn. Scott’s promise to bring about the necessary changes to improve the Senate Republican Conference is a stark contrast to the current situation, where he sees too many “backroom deals” occurring in secret and not enough going through the committee process. He believes that Republicans are “routinely surprised” with new legislation and required to vote on it without having had time to review it.
Scott commented further that Republicans throughout the U.S. want the party they voted for to “stop caving” to the Democrats’ demands. In a letter sent to fellow senators on May 22, he predicted that the party would take back the Senate and increase its House majority. He vowed to improve transparency and ensure that senators are not pressured to vote against their states’ wishes. He cited microchip manufacturing, firearm regulation, government funding, and raising the debt ceiling as examples of significant recent legislation signed off by both Republicans and Democrats, saying he would not sign off on such bipartisan deals.
National Republican Senatorial Committee leader and Montana Senator Steve Daines of Montana has been named as a potential “dark horse” in the run for McConnell’s position, as has Iowa Senator and Trump loyalist Joni Ernst, who was the Republican conference’s vice chair until January.
Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee’s response to Scott’s bid announcement was significant, calling it a “game changer” and praising the plan he offered, though he stopped short of explicitly endorsing his bid for leadership. Republican Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson echoed Lee’s sentiments, saying he “couldn’t agree more.” Lee further commented that it was the first time he had seen a colleague running for the position of Senate leadership who had a distinct plan in place to let the party know how he would lead the conference.
Copyright 2024, WatchDogReport.org
