This article represents the opinion of the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board.
U.S. Senate – Rick Scott, Republicans
Sen. Rick Scott [ J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE | AP ]
The race for the U.S. Senate on the Republican side pits the well-known incumbent and former two-term Florida governor against two opponents with little name recognition, comparatively anemic campaign coffers and few high-profile endorsements.
Sen. Rick Scott, 71, is seeking a second term after narrowly defeating Democratic former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson six years ago. Something truly remarkable would have to happen for Scott not to win the Republican nomination. For Republicans, he’s the clear choice to take on whichever Democrat makes it through the Aug. 20 primary.
Scott, staunchly conservative, has had some ups and downs in his first six-year term in the Senate. He is one of the most forceful voices in Congress for balancing the federal budget and getting control of the national debt. However, Scott wasn’t able to convince his fellow Republicans in Congress to support his “Rescue America” agenda, which among other things called for ending federal programs after five years, including the popular Social Security and Medicare programs. Amidst mounting criticism from both sides of the political aisle, he relented and said he would exempt those two programs from his plan.
Earlier this year, Scott was praised in some circles and criticized in others for voting against a $95.3 billion foreign aid package that would have sent money to Ukraine and Israel. The bill ended up passing the Senate 70-29.
In 2022, Scott lost a bid to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell as the GOP leader in the Senate, though he won the support of the most conservative members. Scott said he will run again for the leadership position, now that McConnell has announced he will step down near the end of the year. Scott will first have to get reelected to the Senate.
Scott, a Navy veteran who was Florida’s governor from 2011 to 2019, sits on several Senate committees, including Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget and Armed Services.
Scott faces businessperson Keith Gross and John S. Columbus, who bills himself as “a modern millennial Florida-man with a big dream and patriotic spirit.”
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board recommends incumbent Rick Scott.
The recommendation process
Before making a recommendation, the Times Editorial Board asks candidates to fill out questionnaires and sit for an interview. The process can also include running criminal and civil background checks, interviewing candidates’ colleagues and employers, reviewing voting records and financial disclosures and examining their past and current positions on relevant issues.
Source link : https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2024/07/18/florida-republicans-have-really-only-one-choice-us-senate-primary-recommendation/
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Publish date : 2024-07-18 16:55:05
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