In between the rampant racism and police violence against unarmed black men, women and children that seem to plague the boot that wouldn’t leave the other 49 states alone, Florida’s Senate race just became interesting.
While many people of color would be just fine if the entire state of Florida just drifted into the Atlantic Ocean, while it’s still one of the 50 states, we have to note that Republican Gov. Rick Scott just announced that he’s going to challenge Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson.
“I never planned to fit in, and I won’t fit in in Washington, either,” Scott says in the video announcing his run that was posted to all of his social media accounts, CNN reports. “It’s time to shake that place up. We don’t need another politician in Washington. It’s full of politicians, and that’s why it’s broken.”
This is going to be a problem. First off, Scott is rich, very rich. Which means that Democrats are going to have to dig deep into their britches to try to keep up with the kind of campaign Scott runs.
“In each of his gubernatorial races, Scott spent heavily from his personal fortune; he dropped $75 million in his 2010 victory and, after saying he wouldn’t need to contribute any cash to his re-election, dumped almost $13 million in at the end of that 2014 race,” CNN reports.
Second, Scott is superrich. Which means that Scott doesn’t have to worry about campaign donations, and therefore can saturate media with his “message paid for by Scott.” Plus, Republicans know that Scott is a beloved figure in Florida, and he’s been courted to run for Senate since winning the governor’s race in 2011.
Asked if he considers himself a “Donald Trump Republican,” Scott told Politico, according to CNN: “I consider myself Rick Scott. I don’t consider myself any type of anything.” The governor would not tell the publication whether the president would campaign for him.
Oh, Trump is going to campaign hard for Scott. For one, he’s the type of man Trump likes to align himself with: a beloved Republican who could help Trump carry Florida in 2020. Also, Trump needs a win, and good money says that Scott has more than a puncher’s chance.
Let’s look at Trump’s record in Alabama alone: After he backed Luther Strange for the Republican nomination for a Senate seat, Strange lost to accused child molester Roy Moore. So Trump became a Moore supporter, and we all know how that went.
In a statement viewed by CNN, Nelson said: “I’ve always run every race like there’s no tomorrow—regardless of my opponent. While it’s clear that Rick Scott will say or do anything to get elected, I’ve always believed that if you just do the right thing, the politics will take care of itself.”
Umm, did y’all catch the shade that Nelson just threw? Oh yeah, this is going to be good.