Sen. Rick Scott will run for leadership of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, according to a spokesperson for the Florida Republican.
Senate Republicans are slated to hold their leadership elections on Tuesday, and so far Scott is the only senator to publicly announce a bid to helm the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
If elected, Scott will be defending a tough map for Senate Republicans in 2022, with 21 GOP seats on the ballot, including two openings in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Both Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) have announced they plan to retire.
Leading either the NRSC or the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is often a way for ambitious senators to bolster their résumés and build ties to key donors. Scott, a former governor, is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2024. The election for DSCC chair is not expected to happen Tuesday.
Sen. Todd Young of Indiana led the NRSC this past cycle, where Senate Republicans appear likely to hold a slim majority. While Democrats gained a net seat after Tuesday’s election, Republicans held onto their incumbents in three competitive states — North Carolina, Maine and Iowa, all rated as toss-ups.
Control of the Senate, however, will not be determined until Jan. 5, when Georgia will hold two runoff elections for GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Should Democrats manage to win both of those seats, they will hold the Senate majority if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the White House.
Burgess Everett contributed to this report.