Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned a roomful of Republican National Committee officials, campaign operatives and convention delegates on Thursday not to engage in “any monkey business, tricks [or] stunts” at the GOP convention this July.
Scott’s warning comes as the likelihood of a contested party convention looms over Republicans and while GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is the only candidate mathematically capable of reaching the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination.
Recent polls show that a majority of GOP voters think the nominee should be the candidate who enters the convention with the highest delegate count – an opinion several party leaders and anti-Trump Republicans disagree with.
“I’m looking forward to the convention this summer,” Scott said at the RNC’s spring meeting in Hollywood, Fla. “Sort of like this race, it will be very interesting.”
“I’ve probably shaken hands with 400,000-plus people in this state and I listen to voters all the time. And I can give you the things that I think they care about,” Scott told the audience.
“No. 1: They think they control the process. We work for them,” Scott said. “No. 2: We have got to be transparent. We can’t take a chance that we’re accused of any monkey business, tricks, stunts, anything.”
The two-term governor also urged Republicans not to get ahead of themselves.
“We can’t start thinking about 2020. We cannot lose this year,” he said. “If you just think about your own family for a second – this is an important election.”
“Whoever our nominee is, we have to support them and we have to win,” he added.
