Rubio throws weight behind Rick Scott for GOP leader
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Former President Donald Trump watches as U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during a campaign rally. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the latest Trump-friendly voice to pledge his vote for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP Leader.
Why it matters: Scott — who has been viewed as long-shot candidate — has now racked up four public endorsements from Senate colleagues as well as a swell of support from influential MAGA voices online.
- Rubio, is a contender for a top administration post, perhaps even Secretary of State.
- Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) is also a top cabinet candidate and publicly backed Scott on Saturday, joining conservative Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Catch up quick: A number of influential names in MAGA world — including Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have piled on their praise for Scott in recent days.
- People close to Trump have privately been signaling their support for Scott as leader, a development the senator hopes could turn into public backing by Trump, as Axios reported.
- Some personalities have explicitly called on the president-elect to weigh in, even as one of the leading contenders, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), and some of his allies close to Trump have discouraged the former president from doing so.
- Trump has seemed inclined to stay out of the race so far and told friends in the weeks before the election that Scott's bid was "not serious." Trump, though, is known to change his mind.
What we're watching: Conservative voices have not only been boosting Scott, but bashing Thune and the other top candidate, John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who they view as establishment, McConnell-like choices.
- "One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney's," Carlson posted on X on Saturday.
- Elon Musk, however, praised a new promise from Cornyn to keep senators in town and working until Trump's cabinet is fully confirmed. "That is encouraging," Musk responded to Cornyn's post on X.
Between the lines: The GOP leader race is a secret ballot game. Outside or online momentum doesn't always reflect the needed support from the 53 people who matter.
- The question is if the momentum might tip the scales on a Trump endorsement — which could change everything.
