ICYMI: Inside the intense rivalry between Mitch McConnell and Rick Scott [CNN]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

CNN: Inside the intense rivalry between Mitch McConnell and Rick Scott
By Michael Warren
November 2, 2022

Key Points:

• A simmering conflict between Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is heating up in the closing days of the fall campaigns, as the two Republicans battle behind the scenes over… who will bear the blame if the party falls short.

• The fight – manifested by changing ad buys, surrogate appearances and whispers to reporters – is the culmination of a rocky working relationship this cycle between the two Republican senators and described to CNN by eight GOP operatives and strategists.

• Scott, who many Republicans say has presidential ambitions, has annoyed and frustrated McConnell allies who see his actions as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as self-serving and strategically flawed.

• A second Republican operative working on Senate races this cycle dismissed the idea that Scott’s campaigning for controversial candidates, as he did for Herschel Walker in Georgia in October, means as much as the investment from Senate Leadership Fund, the McConnell-aligned super PAC… “Would you rather have an old guy from Washington coming to do a press conference, or would you rather have $50 million?” said the second operative.

• Democratic candidates have outraised their GOP opponents in just about every contested race. The NRSC, meanwhile, faced a cash crunch this fall following an aggressive fundraising strategy that The New York Times reported had Republicans, including McConnell, “fretting aloud” about the lack of funds from the party’s main committee.

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