Nov 7, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Rick Scott: GOP campaign arm supports Murkowski over Trump-endorsed opponent

Ivana Saric

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, chair of the Senate GOP's campaign arm, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the group supports Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in her re-election campaign, despite the fact that her opponent is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Why it matters: Trump in June endorsed former Alaska commissioner Kelly Tshibaka in her Senate race against Murkowski, who was one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Murkowski is the only Republican who voted to convict that is up for re-election in 2022.

State of play: Tshibaka announced last week that Trump will host a fundraiser for her at Mar-a-Lago in February. Tshibaka, a former state Department of Administration commissioner, has roped in several former Trump associates to help her campaign.

The big picture: Scott told host Chuck Todd that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is supporting all incumbents in the 2022 elections, and that "absolutely" includes Murkowski.

"We support all of our incumbents. And fortunately for us, we've got great candidates running in our primaries."

Of note: Back in March, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said he would support Murkowski in the midterm elections.

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Rick Scott: GOP campaign arm supports Murkowski over Trump-endorsed opponent

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