Rick Scott Dodges on Whether He'll Back Mitch McConnell for GOP Leader

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida on Monday dodged a question on whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for GOP leader.

The Fox Business host Larry Kudlow asked Scott whether he intended to back McConnell.

"Well, look, I think we ought to have to figure out, Larry — I think what we have to do is say, what do we do going forward?" Scott responded. "And that's what I want to do. I want to focus on how do we go forward."

"All right, you want to wait and see, then go forward," Kudlow said.

KUDLOW: Are you backing Mitch McConnell?RICK SCOTT: Well, look, I think we outta have to figure out, Larry, I think what we have to do is say, what do we do going forward? And that's what I want to do. I want to focus on how do we go forward. pic.twitter.com/wSHIfpW8Fb

Much speculation has swirled around whether Scott will mount a challenge against McConnell. The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that Scott's and McConnell's allies were trading barbs about who should be held responsible for the GOP's failure to wrest control of the upper chamber. Scott led the GOP's campaign arm during the midterms.

As for the personal relationship between the two, Scott this month denied there was any bad blood between him and his Kentucky colleague.

"I don't dislike anybody. I mean, I have my beliefs about, you know, what I'd like to accomplish up here, but I don't dislike people," Scott replied when asked on Fox News whether he hated McConnell.

Among the allies in Scott's corner, should he mount a challenge to McConnell, is former President Donald Trump. Trump has long feuded with McConnell and unleashed racist tirades on his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Chao was the first Trump Cabinet member to resign after the Capitol riot.

Trump endorses Rick Scott for Republican Senate Leader: "I think Rick Scott would be much better than McConnell. I know McConnell well. His wife, I call her CoCo Chao. I wasn't sad to see her go. I’m not a fan of McConnell and I am a fan of Rick Scott." pic.twitter.com/nGf1fW0saE

"I think Rick Scott would be much better than McConnell," Trump said during an appearance on the former Fox News host Glenn Beck's podcast. "I know McConnell well. His wife, I call her Coco Chao. I wasn't sad to see her go. I'm not a fan of McConnell and I am a fan of Rick Scott."

Other prominent GOP figures like Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas have also expressed their dislike for McConnell's leadership. Cruz blamed McConnell for the GOP's midterm Senate loss and accused McConnell of abandoning the Senate candidate Blake Masters in Arizona.

"Because Masters said he would vote against Mitch McConnell, and so Mitch would rather be leader than have a Republican majority," Cruz said on Monday. "If there's a Republican who can win, who's not going to support Mitch, the truth of the matter is he'd rather the Democrat win. So he pulled all the money out of Arizona."

Representatives for McConnell didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Correction: November 16, 2022 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Glenn Beck's employment. He is a former Fox News host, not a current one.