MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Despite concerns over how involved former President Donald Trump should be in the 2022 midterm elections — and whether it could affect Republican outcomes — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott believes the GOP can be unified by another person: President Joe Biden.
Scott, the Florida senator, serves as the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and is in charge of electing Republicans to the Senate. Friday, he said he's confident a rejection of Democratic policies will lead to Republican victories in the midterm elections, which historically have not gone well for the party in power.
"You actually look around the country, Republicans are united, and actually Independents have completely rejected the Democrat agenda," Scott said, citing polls the NRSC has conducted. "Biden is the best unifier. He's been an unbelievable unifier for both Independents and Republicans. Think about this, it can't go on."
Scott made his remarks at the South Carolina GOP's "First in the South Republican Action Conference" in Myrtle Beach.
He said if Republicans talk about issues such as high gas prices, inflation and the withdrawal from Afghanistan, they will be successful over Democrats next year. Discussing issues that affect people's jobs, their children's education and public safety also tend to resonate with voters, Scott said.
"They're completely rejecting the Biden agenda, and as of August they completely reject Biden, he's completely crumpling. So that's really what people are focused on, they're really focused on issues," Scott said.
Scott cited several examples of how Republicans will communicate with voters about issues they feel the Biden administration is failing on: "The border being open? People can't imagine that, the number of people. They see the gas prices and they say, 'Why are the gas prices up but you watch what Joe Biden did to shut down the pipelines and then not allowing people to drill?'"
The talking points are part of a three-pronged plan Scott said Republicans can use to win elections: Talk to as many voters as possible, consistently highlight that Democrats are not doing well, and unify voters behind rejecting Biden and his policies.
"One of the mistakes that I think we make in campaigns is we don't define the Democrats all the time," Scott said. "We need to be talking about what they're doing on the Senate floor every day. We're gonna make sure our races are about issues."
Scott defended the use of voter ID in elections and making sure signatures match on absentee ballots. He emphasized the need for election security, as Trump has pushed unfounded concerns that the 2020 election had "stolen."
"I think people do want to know that the elections are secure," Scott said. "One thing we're doing at the National Republican Central Committee is where states have passed election security laws and they're being sued, we're going to defend them. We're going to work hard to make sure elections are fair. I think election security is important."
Rick Scott said he believes South Carolina's junior Senator Tim Scott will comfortably win in next year's election, especially after Democrat Jaime Harrison spent more than $100 million trying to unseat Lindsey Graham in 2020. (The senators are not related.)
When he began his remarks on Friday evening, he teased how Democrats running in statewide elections still were unable to get within 10 points of their Republican opponents.
"I hope that Jaime Harrison and Chuck Schumer, all those guys, don't raise $150 million, but if they do they, I hope they lose it, I hope they waste it," Rick Scott said.
Now Tim Scott is seeking re-election next year, a result Rick Scott says will probably not be in doubt.
Rick Scott says he will do what he can to help Tim Scott, but "I'm optimistic he will have a landslide win."
