Florida Sen. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that he will jump into the succession race after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell steps down later this year.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Scott’s plan, and Scott later shared it publicly in a post about X.
In a letter to colleagues obtained by NBC News, Trump said he was running for Republican Party leadership because he believed “dramatic change is needed now.”
“We believe our voters want us to use this leadership election as an opportunity to make choices that upend the status quo in Washington,” Scott wrote.
Debbie Mucarsel Powell, a former Miami-area congresswoman and a ranking Democrat vying to unseat Scott in November, quickly criticized Scott’s Senate leadership in a statement, saying it would be “selfish” and “a disaster for the American people” if Scott were to assume Senate leadership.
Scott will join a fierce race to take over as Senate leader when McConnell steps down after a record 18 years in the role. Other contenders include Senate Minority Whip John Thune, D-Scotland, and former Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas. Other candidates could still run, as no votes will be cast until after the November election.
Scott previously ran to challenge McConnell for Republican leadership in 2022, but lost when Senate Republicans reelected McConnell to the post.
Scott, a former two-term governor of Florida, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. He also served as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 2022 cycle, but fell short of Republican hopes, failing to pick up the one seat Republicans needed to gain control of the upper chamber. He was replaced by Sen. Steve Daines, who has been at the helm of the group since 2023.
