Rick Scott Explains Why He Wants McConnell's Job: 'Clearly Not Working'

Senator Rick Scott of Florida is challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for the GOP's highest position in the chamber.

Scott made the bid during a closed-door GOP lunch, Politico reported on Tuesday, writing a letter for support from his Republican colleagues who could possibly relinquish McConnell of the duties he's held for about 15 years.

"[Republican voters] are begging us to tell them what we will do when we are in charge," Scott wrote in the letter. "Unfortunately, we have continued to elect leadership who refuses to do that and elicits attacks on anyone that does. That is clearly not working and it's time for bold change. The voters are demanding it."

Scott and McConnell have made headlines throughout the midterm election cycle, which resulted in less-than-stellar results for the GOP—notably in the Senate.

Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), predicted that the GOP would exit the midterms with 52 senators. Meanwhile, the Democrats have already retained control of the Senate and could add an additional seat if incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock defeats Republican Herschel Walker in the Georgia runoff election.

McConnell himself shed doubt on the GOP's prospects, saying that Senate races are "just different" and that "candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome." It was viewed as a slight against some of the candidates running under Scott's umbrella.

Failed Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters publicly called out McConnell for a lack of financial support, saying his Senate Leadership Fund did not provide enough financial support to help him defeat incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.

"Had he chosen to spend money in Arizona, this race would be over and we'd be celebrating a Senate majority right now," Masters said on Fox News. "And so my message to the people of America, my message to actually my, the Republican senators, hopefully my future colleagues, let's not vote Mitch McConnell into leadership. He doesn't deserve to be majority leader or minority leader."

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Scott over McConnell.

"I think Rick Scott would be much better than McConnell," Trump said last Friday. "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."

Two months out from the election, reports indicated that the NRSC was drying up financially and that an audit was on the table—a premise rebuked at the time by NRSC spokesperson Chris Hartline to Newsweek.

"Like each of you, I am deeply disappointed by the results of the recent election," Scott said in his letter, mentioning lower-than-expected GOP voter turnout. "Despite what the armchair quarterbacks on TV will tell you, there is no one person responsible for our party's performance across the country."

Among his priorities if he becomes Senate minority leader, Scott said he intends "to get serious about ending reckless government spending" and address inflation; "preserve the promise of" Social Security and Medicare; hold the FBI and IRS accountable; and "refocus our military on lethal defense instead of woke nonsense."

"If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don't vote for me," Scott said in his letter.

Scott's past Medicare fraud scandal was brought up during the midterm campaign. When the first-term senator was formerly CEO of Columbia/HCA, he was deposed in 2000 during an investigation and pleaded the Fifth Amendment 75 times.

A settlement with the Justice Department was reached that year totaling $840 million, and another settlement of $881 million followed in 2002—a combined record at that point in time.

Newsweek reached out to both Scott and McConnell for comment.