Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to announce on April 9 that he is running for Senate against Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., according to a source familiar with the plans.
Earlier Monday, Scott teased that he will be making a “big announcement” on Facebook Live, which follows rumors that have swirled for months about him taking on Nelson this fall. Scott also made the revelation on his political Twitter feed instead of his gubernatorial account, hinting at the planned announcement.
On the eve of the announcement, Scott’s team also saw a shake-up. Politico reported Monday that Jackie Schutz Zeckman, Scott’s chief of staff in the governor’s office, has resigned. She did not reveal her next move.
Scott had long said he was holding off on announcing his intentions until the end of the Florida legislative session, which concluded on March 9.
The news should be well received by President Trump, who has publicly called for Scott to jump in the race against Nelson, a three-term incumbent and one of ten Democratic senators running for re-election in states Trump won in the 2016 election.
“I just, again, I have to say that — what do I know? But I hope this man right here, Rick Scott, runs for the Senate,” Trump said in September at a Hurricane Irma recovery event.
“I don’t know what he’s gonna do, but I know that at a certain point it ends for you, and we can’t let it end,” Trump said. “So I hope he runs for Senate. Who knows what he’s gonna do?”
Scott is expected to be a formidable opponent against Nelson, who won both of his re-election bids by double digits since winning the seat in 2000. The Florida governor is known as a prolific fundraiser who is independently wealthy, having cut checks to his two gubernatorial campaigns.
