Sen. Rick Scott running for re-election, not for president, he says

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said on Thursday he will seek re-election to the upper chamber instead of joining a presidential ticket that is expected to be filled with Sunshine State candidates.

“I’ve never lost an election and I don’t intend to now,” Scott said in a statement posted to his Twitter. “We’ve worked hard to turn Florida into a red state that elects Republicans up and down the ballot. 

“But I never take anything for granted,” he added. 

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., leaves the Senate Republicans lunch in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Scott has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for the White House in 2024, though he has also yet to say which GOP candidate he will back, instead saying he will wait to see who emerges in the race.  

Former President Trump, who moved his primary residence to Florida in 2019, announced his plans to seek re-election in November, and speculation has surfaced for months over whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will also take a stab at the presidential bid. 

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handling of a Cuban immigration surge may serve as a lens into his policy platform should he run for president in 2024.
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

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Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Scott for comment, but in an interview with NBC News, he said, “I’m focused on my race. I’m not focused on somebody else’s race.”

“My goal is to have a good working relationship with all Republicans,” he continued. “I don’t plan on getting involved in an endorsement in a presidential primary. Think about it: Every Republican who is considering running in a presidential primary I know. So I’m going to focus on my race.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, left, and former President Trump.
(Getty Images)

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Scott backed Trump in 2016 after he secured the state’s support in the primary. 

Scott on Thursday announced that “key staff members” will join his re-election campaign though he did not detail who they will be.