Paging Mr. Burns...
Inside Rick Scott's anti-McConnell gamble
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is betting that backlash against the chamber's current Republican leadership will translate into a groundswell of support for him to step in as Sen. Mitch McConnell's successor.
Why it matters: Scott's bid to become the next Senate GOP leader is centered on significant changes he's proposing to Republican conference rules, a tactic he's wagering will make him a more appealing choice than his rivals, who hew more closely to McConnell's style and philosophy.
"If you don't want big change, no one should elect me," Scott, who launched his long-shot leadership bid last week, told Axios in an interview Wednesday.
Scott is pushing six-year term limits for party leaders and telling colleagues he would seek to devolve power by enforcing regular order — the process by which legislation comes to the floor through committees — rather than consolidating power in the hands of leadership.
The big picture: Senate conservatives could latch onto Scott's campaign, with the other two candidates in the race — Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) — viewed as McConnell allies.
Scott criticized the way McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have run the chamber, arguing rank-and-file members should have a say over which legislation reaches the floor.
He pointed to the Senate's passage of foreign aid earlier this year, arguing McConnell and Schumer had a "backroom deal" to pair support for Israel with billions in support for Ukraine. That arrangement angered many conservatives.
"You should be clear with your colleagues, so you don't have a position different than what the conference's position is," Scott said.
Scott is looking ahead to 2025, when Republicans are in a good position to take back control of the Senate and are hopeful to send former President Trump back to the White House.
Scott, a Trump ally, said he called the former president shortly before he announced his leadership bid.
The former Florida governor and National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman said his role as majority leader under a Trump administration would be to "try to get the president's agenda passed" and help Republican senators "get what they want to get accomplished."
Between the lines: Scott's term-limits proposal is the marquee element of a broader pitch for a more democratized structure in the Senate.
"People believe that, like a lot of things in D.C., we've given leader too much authority. By having term limits, they won't have as much authority," Scott said.
McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, has urged Republicans to oppose term limits. Cornyn has said he would support a vote on term limits, and Thune has said he's "open to discussing" the idea.
The intrigue: Scott said people around the country don't see Republicans in D.C. as "fighters."
"We haven't been fighting to get better stuff done. ... Republicans in D.C. don't have a plan," Scott said.
Reality check: Scott's campaign is still seen as a long-shot bid, GOP sources tell Axios.
Scott ran against McConnell in 2022, picking up just 10 votes.
