DuhH5a82 Senator Rick Scott Is Running For Reelection This Fall
Senator Rick Scott is running for reelection this fall in Florida. He recently downplayed expectations for Republicans to capture the Senate, saying “candidate quality has a lot to do with it.”
Scott also raised eyebrows when he released an 11-point plan with some controversial ideas. These included requiring all Americans to pay income tax and allowing laws to sunset after five years.
He’s a family man
During his second term as Florida governor, Scott launched a 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate, where he faces Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and a law degree from Southern Methodist University. He served in the Navy for 29 months, including as a radar technician on USS Glover.
In a bid to court evangelical voters, Scott emphasized his faith and has made his wife Casey a frequent presence at events and in ads. However, some potential donors have expressed concerns about his private life, which includes three marriages and alleged affairs.
Scott has endorsed policies that critics say promote the interests of wealthy interests at the expense of lower-income Floridians. He has backed a proposal to require that state workers pass drug tests and voted against a bill that would restore voting rights to nonviolent felons who complete their sentences. He also opposes the teaching of critical race theory, an academic framework that presents the idea that America’s institutions reinforce white dominance.
He’s a businessman
After graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University, Scott started his business career as a partner in a Dallas firm. He later founded Columbia Hospital Corporation, which merged with another company to form Columbia/HCA, the largest for-profit healthcare company in the nation at the time. Scott was CEO of the company until it collapsed amid allegations of fraud, resulting in 14 felony convictions and what was at the time the biggest health care fraud settlement in history.
Democrats spent millions attacking Scott over his connection to the company during his 2010 gubernatorial campaign and his 2014 reelection race, but the issue was never a kill shot for him. It’s a key part of his story, though, and one that has shaped his conservative view of government’s role in society and his political career.
He’s a fighter
Rick Scott is a Navy veteran who has worked his whole life to make Florida the best place to grow a family and run a business. As governor, he cut burdensome regulations and fought to give Floridians the highest-quality education in the country, ensuring they can find work and build a good life.
He was also a champion of law and order, taking on the illegal sale of fentanyl online and signing an executive order to enhance criminal penalties for those who violate state laws. Scott also earned the endorsements of 59 sheriffs, as well as dozens of local law enforcement officials.
He was elected to the Senate in 2018, where he defeated longtime Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and served on the USS Glover as a radar technician. He was the co-owner of the Texas Rangers and later served as CEO of Columbia/HCA until 1997. He has also been an entrepreneur and is the founder of two healthcare companies.
He’s a friend
During his gubernatorial campaign Scott took on a favorite of the GOP establishment and won the nomination with a message focused on jobs, private-sector job growth, and a push for term limits. He defeated Democrat Bill Nelson in a surprisingly close race that saw multiple machine and manual recounts.
In the Senate he’s fought hard to make sure Florida continues to be a great place for families and businesses. He’s worked on issues ranging from hurricane recovery and the fentanyl crisis to school safety and combating Iran-backed terrorists.
Despite the fact that he grew up in public housing and was raised by his adoptive father, who was a World War II veteran truck driver and store clerk, Scott built one of the nation’s largest healthcare companies. That made him a natural opponent of Obamacare and a natural ally of President Trump. It also meant he had views on health care that were destined to clash with those of Obama, who built his presidential legacy on the issue.