“First day as president, (U.S. Senator. Rick Scott) is doing everything in its power to regain the Senate majority in 2022. ”
the tweet was posted January 11, 2021 by the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC), as Scott assumed the presidency.As of this post, it remains pinned to the top NRSC Twitter account.
husband.
Tuesday’s Senate runoff vote in Georgia sealed the cycle as an embarrassment for Senate Republicans.Just weeks before Election Day, Scott showed confidence and predicted that the Republican Party could win. up to 55 seats.
Republican candidate, former professional soccer player, current professional gaffe machine and herschel walker lose Tuesdaythe Republican Party not only fell short of 55 seats, failing on Scott’s original promise to regain a majority, but actually lost one seat in what was expected to be a wave year for the Republican Party. .
And let’s clarify what happened here. This year’s election has been something of a proxy war between former presidents. donald trump Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellTrump was keen for candidates like Walker to compete in these highly competitive battlegrounds, but McConnell warned: Candidate quality One shot at a Trump-backed competitor.
Scott backed Trump when he tried to prepare a leadership challenge to McConnell.Scott openly denounced McConnell Concerning that “candidate quality” remark, McConnell argued that Scott’s “save americaScott continues to denounce the Republican candidate, flaws and all, and still maintains that Walker will be the leader of the Republican Party.for yearsFollowing Walker’s failure on Tuesday.
But it never rotates. As chairman of the NRSC, Scott has historically failed to lead the Republicans to easy victories.Without the momentum from those election wins, he then fail in his leadership challenge to McConnell.
Scott, who is sometimes seen as an election wizard in Florida, went on a winning streak, winning two terms as governor and a come-from-behind victory over a former Democratic senator. Bill Nelson 2018.
But far from “going all out to regain the Senate majority in 2022,” the only thing Scott has run into with this cycle has been a brick wall regarding his political ambitions. Already sober about the 2024 presidential election, he said this week:focus on the Senate”
Now for the weekly winners and losers game.
winner
Honorable Mention: Florida Revenue MachineFlorida’s latest earnings report beat forecasts by about $141 million, continuing the trend of better-than-expected Florida revenue collections.
The latest report, based on September economic yields, is notable for including some of the impact of Hurricane Ian.
The massive storm made landfall on September 28 and continued much of its devastation into October, not reflected in this report. But the latest report records that the storm cut his September earnings by $67 million, according to analysts. Even with that chunk missing, Florida fared better than expected, and overall she raised $3.23 billion.
Experts warn that much of this excess cash is caused by spikes in inflation, so things will surely cool once market-wide inflation subsides. But with Ian causing so much pain and destruction, officials are grateful the state is still healthier than expected.
Nearly (but not quite) Biggest Winner: Alex RizoMr. Rizo, who is also a member of the state assembly, now a chair in miami-dade county miami-dade county republican As the Republicans tightened their grip on what was certainly the blue county.
Republicans perform well at Miami-Dade in 2020, leading the state donald trumpTrump lost the county by just 7 points after losing by 16 in 2016.government Ron DeSantis The US Senators won by 11 points. Marco Rubio They won the prefecture by 10 points.
That’s a big change in just six years. And with much of the hard work done, Rizo will take over in hopes of continuing his GOP success there.
One obvious driver is the rise in Republican approval ratings among Hispanic voters, and Rizo hopes to help the party continue that trend. Rizo is here handed the keys to a fully assembled, supercharged, seemingly well-oiled machine. He has to keep it from crashing.
Biggest Winners: Kat Camac, Carlos Jimenez, Michael WaltzThe three members of Congress were the only Republicans on the Florida legislative delegation to vote in favor of federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples.
The Respect for Marriage Act repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and states that the federal government will recognize valid same-sex marriage licenses. The bill also requires states to recognize gay marriage licenses issued in other states.
The law still allows states to rule out gay marriage only if the Supreme Court overturns an earlier ruling in the Obergefell case. Clarence Thomas Pushed in his Dobbs dissent. But Democrats used what moderate Republicans had to offer at this lame duck conference to introduce more limited legislation.
Cammack, Giménez and Waltz stand out for recognizing that the bill merely seeks to normalize legal protections for all Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Everyone is entitled to have their own religious views. Also call for private action on same-sex marriage, such as the Colorado bakery case and SCOTUS’ current case of a graphic designer who refuses to create a website for gay couples because of his beliefs. Things are certainly tricky legally and can come. Descend on the other side.
But the benefits and rights granted by the government should be given equally, and Kamack, Gimenez, and Waltz, by approving this law, moved away from the culture wars and recognized the humanity of their fellow Americans. It deserves praise.
loser
Derogatory Mentions: Mary O’Connor, Jane CastorUsually run-in with the law and then resigned It lands you in the “biggest loser” spot on this list. But boy, I need to brace myself this week.
Let’s start with the current former Tampa Police Chief O’Connor.O’Connor and her husband were pulled over by Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Jacoby Driving a golf cart without proper tags. in exchangeO’Connor asked if Jacoby’s body cam was on, and was told it was.
She then made the grave mistake of continuing to speak, identifying herself as the Tampa Police Chief and asking to be released from any citation.
“I hope you’ll let us go tonight,” she said.
he did And now Castor has let her go as the city’s police chief. Castor accepted O’Connor’s resignation on Monday.
So why does Castor share a spot here? Well, she was heavily criticized from the start for appointing O’Connor to the position. battery charge Hillsboro Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested for DUI. Critics argued that she was undeserving of the role of police chief, but Castor stuck to her decision.
Fast forward to less than eight months and she’s already out. Casters who used to fill the role themselves, take the time to build your confidence. next person She chose a job with the qualifications and ethics to lead her department.
Almost (not quite) the biggest loser: David Rivera. Rivera has been under the gun ever since a report came out What Rivera Consulting Firm Agreed $50 million deal Venezuela-controlled oil companies and Rivera not registered as a foreign agent.
Now the infamous former congressman indicted and arrestedEight indictments allege that Rivera lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of Venezuela and attempted to set up meetings between Trump allies and Trump allies. Nicolas Maduro.
Rivera also met with US Senators. Marco Rubio — A long-time friend — On Rivera’s efforts to defuse tensions between Venezuela and the United States Rubio acknowledged the meeting, but the senator was unaware of Rivera’s deal and intended to push for normalization of relations between the two countries said he did not agree with
Indictment would greatly undermine Rivera’s chances Bocce another return to politics.
Rivera could therefore face a prison sentence. This is definitely more serious than O’Connor, who just got a traffic warning. O’Connor had to resign, but Rivera didn’t. But given the accusations, Rivera is a little worse.
Now, being criminally indicted and being forced to resign after just one week, that’s a big deal.
Biggest loser: Joe HardingI’ll try it for 1 days. on wednesday, news broke Harding had been charged with allegations of wire fraud, money laundering, and false statements. These allegations related to Harding fraudulently obtaining his COVID-19-related small business loans from the Small Business Administration using the names of dormant businesses.
Later Wednesday, Harding vowed to fight the charges. “I have pleaded not guilty to federal charges of improperly obtaining and using an EIDL loan issued by the Small Business Administration. I want the public and voters to know what I did,” Harding said.
Speaker of the House following the announcement Paul Renner Removed Harding from all committee assignments.
By Thursday, Harding said he Resigned as a member of the House of Representatives.
“I would like to thank the many colleagues who have contacted me, including many with whom I have deep policy disagreements. It has been a once-in-a-lifetime honor to serve with you over the past two years,” said Harding. I was.
“There will come a time when I can tell my story in detail and I will,” he added. Please reassure voters and taxpayers that we have done our best.”
Harding, who later deleted his Twitter account, called out:let the dog goFollowing reports that Planned Parenthood affiliates fraudulently obtained COVID-19 stimulus funds.
Accusing political opponents of doing what you are allegedly doing is as rich as state legislators illegally collecting loans from the federal government.
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