Scott Enters The Race For Senate GOP Leadership

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) becomes the latest senator to announce his bid to replace retiring Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for Senate Republican leader. 

The Trump ally’s announcement comes as conservatives voiced opposition to other senators in the race notably Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD). 

In a letter to senate colleagues Scott argued, “Republicans all across America want the Republicans they elected to the U.S. Senate to stop caving in to Democrat demands. This is not an unreasonable request or expectation.” 

Scott echoes previous demands of the America Firsters who heavily criticized McConnell’s cooperation with Democratic leadership and sent billions in aid to foreign causes.

Our thoughts are with our Democrat colleagues in the Senate on the retirement of their Co-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-Ukraine).

No need to wait till November… Senate Republicans should IMMEDIATELY elect a *Republican* Minority Leader.

— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) February 28, 2024

Scott’s entry into the race for senate leadership is not without its challenges. The Washington Examiner reported that, “Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has raised $18.3 million this cycle to help boost Republican Senate incumbents and hopefuls, raising more than Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as both men compete to become the next Senate Republican leader.”

Cornyn, who previously served as Texas Attorney General, has served in the Senate since 2003 but opposition to Cornyn remains fierce. Current Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton was among the first to blast the Cornyn candidacy posting:

It will be difficult for @JohnCornyn to be an effective leader since he is anti-Trump, anti-gun, and will be focused on his highly competitive primary campaign in 2026. Republicans deserve better in their next leader and Texans deserve another conservative Senator. https://t.co/IKJYcoXzat

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) February 29, 2024

In his post, Paxton refers to Cornyn’s support for legislation introduced in 2021 that incentivizes states to implement red flag laws. As the lead Republican negotiator for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Cornyn played a crucial role in passing the legislation, which is the most significant of its kind in decades. 

In a monologue that aired on Fox News, former Fox employee Tucker Carlson stated, 

“The backbone of this package of legislation they're trying to get through is something called a red flag law and in one sentence, a red flag law would allow the government to confiscate your firearms without even charging you with a crime, much less convicting you of one. So, who are these Republicans? Well, the lead is John Cornyn of Texas and the amazing thing about John Cornyn is he admits he doesn't care about gun crimes committed by actual criminals. We know this from a piece in Axios, and we're quoting: "Senator John Kennedy asked Cornyn during one lunch, 'Are we focused on gang violence in inner-city murders?' And the response was, 'No, we're not focusing on that'.”

While Cornyn's critics are numerous, the candidate’s 18 million dollar war chest is sure to win him friends in high places.