Sen. Rick Scott Decries ‘Treasonous’ Republicans for ‘Trash Talking’ GOP Senate Candidates

Joseph LordSeptember 2, 2022

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), took a jab at “treasonous” Republicans for “trash talking” GOP Senate candidates.

The statement seemed to be in part a response to comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has suggested that “candidate quality” may prevent Republicans from retaking the majority in the upper chamber. Scott and McConnell have feuded on several occasions in the past over election strategy.

Scott wrote his scathing critique in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner.

“Unfortunately, many of the very people responsible for losing the Senate last cycle are now trying to stop us from winning the majority this time by trash-talking our Republican candidates,” Scott said.

“It’s an amazing act of cowardice, and ultimately, it’s treasonous to the conservative cause. Giving anonymous quotes to help the Washington Post or the New York Times write stories trashing Republicans is the same as working with the Democratic National Committee.”

Asked about midterms while in his home state of Kentucky last week, McConnell said, “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different, they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”

Downplaying the party’s chances is “not what leaders do,” Scott wrote. “And Republicans need to be leaders that build up the team and do everything they can to get the entire team over the finish line.”

Scott did not explicitly name McConnell in the op-ed, but the two lawmakers have clashed in the past over election strategy.

In February, Scott proposed an 11-point plan for Republicans to pursue if they take back the Senate in November.

Several of the proposals in the plan, including a demand that all federal legislation must “sunset” and receive a new vote after five years, drew