Rick Scott kicks off U.S. Senate campaign
Scott launched his campaign at an
Scott's central message was a familiar one, a riff on the "Let's get to Work" slogan that propelled him from an unknown businessman and
Calling the federal government "dysfunctional," Scott declared: "We must change
Scott is taking on incumbent Democratic Sen.
The governor noted Monday that many people gave him little chance of succeeding when he first ran for office.
"Eight years ago today I announced I was going to run for governor," Scott said. "What did the naysayers, the critics, immediately say? A business guy with no background in government has no chance to run this state."
Scott shocked the
Campaigning as a
The approach made Scott one of the most unpopular governors in the nation, but that has changed in recent years as Scott has moderated his tone and his policy proposals -- he backed Medicaid expansion at one point and has pushed for more environmental spending -- while making outreach efforts to a broader spectrum of voters, particularly Hispanics.
Nelson said that Scott's transformation is solely about trying to win elections.
"I've always run every race like there's no tomorrow -- regardless of my opponent," Nelson said in a statement. "While it's clear that
Hispanic outreach
Puerto Rico Lt. Gov.
"We're going to continue to be the best friend in the world for Puerto Ricans in
The large influx of Puerto Ricans to
Puerto Rican native
"
Scott was ubiquitous on television during the busy hurricane season, often donning his yellow and blue "Navy" hat as he warned Floridians to take the storms seriously and guided recovery efforts. He wore the hat Monday, a reminder of his leadership during that time period.
Scott's response to the hurricanes has drawn some criticism, particularly in regard to the deaths at a
Polling conducted by Morning Consult -- which ranks governors by their popularity -- found that just 44 percent of voters approved of Scott's job performance in late 2015, making him the eighth least-popular governor in America.
But Scott ended 2017 with a 58 percent approval rating in Morning Consult's polling, putting him in a tie for the 11th most popular governor in America.
Economic focus
Much of Scott's image, along with his chances for the winning the
Over the last few years the governor has relentlessly traveled the state to promote businesses that are adding jobs. He has tried to take credit for the state's strong rebound from the Great Recession, pointing to his efforts to cut taxes and regulations while offering businesses incentives to expand in
Scott bluntly said that he is running on "a jobs platform."
Critics say the state would be adding jobs regardless of Scott's policies, and they deride his economic record as one of low-wage job growth.
Retired
"Jobs where most of the people who are working have to work three jobs? That's not what I call jobs," said Lyte-Johnson, the president of the
Vouching for Scott's economic policies was
Scott held his kickoff in a back storage area behind ODC's offices. An American flag and a
Speaking to about 100 people, many of them holding "
"We had a lot of help from our state and from our governor." Lidsky said. "At every turn governor Scott has been committed to common-sense regulations, to business growth to really supporting us."
The matchup between Scott and Nelson is one of the marquee
Political experts are expecting a tight race.
A
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