Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Sunday dismissed concerns about struggling swing-state Republican Senate candidates whose defeat in November could doom GOP hopes of winning control of the chamber.
“The players are on the field. We’re eight weeks away, which is kind of like saying we’re in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter,” Scott told “Fox News Sunday.” “So, the truth is, who we have on the field is who we’re gonna play.”
Scott added he was “excited” about the Republican nominees and projected optimism about the party’s chance of winning Senate control in November.
“I’m excited about the candidates that we have overall, because I do believe it gives us the opportunity to win back the majority and to return sanity in Washington, which will reverberate around the country,” Scott said.
Last month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) cited GOP “candidate quality” as a factor in the election. He acknowledged that the GOP had a greater likelihood of winning control of the House than the Senate.
“Senate races are just different — they’re statewide. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell told reporters.
McConnell’s comments have drawn criticism from factions of his own party, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the head of the Senate GOP campaign arm, who told Politico he and McConnell have a “strategic disagreement” over this.
Rick Scott downplayed criticism of inexperienced GOP Senate candidates in an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner — without specifically mentioning McConnell.
“If you want to trash-talk our candidates to help the Democrats, pipe down,” the Florida Republican wrote. “That’s not what leaders do. And Republicans need to be leaders that build up the team and do everything they can to get the entire team over the finish line.”
Tim Scott on Sunday also rejected concerns that the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has energized voters against the GOP in November.
“I actually think that the momentum is in fact heading in our direction,” Scott told “Fox News Sunday,” noting that Republican candidates, including Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Herschel Walker in Georgia and J.D. Vance in Ohio, have made gains in recent weeks.
Tim Scott also criticized President Joe Biden for condemning extremist Republicans backing former President Donald Trump’s “make America great again” ideology.
“Why would we have the president of the United States deliver a soul-crushing speech that was unnecessary, polarizing and inflammatory,” Scott said. “We have done better, we will do better and that’s why elections have consequences.”
