Rubio backs Scott for GOP Senate leader

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) threw his support behind Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the upper chamber’s GOP leader.

“I will be voting for my Florida colleague @ScottforFlorida to be our next Senate GOP leader,” Rubio posted on the social platform X.

The race is set between Scott, Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who served as Senate GOP whip during President-elect Trump’s first two years in the White House.

Scott, whose bid to replace the outgoing Senate leader has been seen as a long shot, has gained momentum in recent days among some allies of Trump’s, after his victory helped boost GOP chances in the upper chamber.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) backed Scott’s bid for GOP leader in a post on Saturday, writing, “Any leader of this new majority must be able to work hand-in-hand with President Trump to advance his America First agenda.”

Thune has encouraged the president-elect to stay out of the leadership race and avoid putting his thumb on the scale in any direction.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (Mont.) told colleagues before the election that he was planning to support Thune in the race to replace McConnell, according to sources familiar with the private conversations. But his official spokespeople said the senator would have more to say after the election.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) on Sunday threw his support behind Thune, saying “I’ve known John Thune since the 1980s, he’s gonna be a great leader” in an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.”

“But the nice thing for Republicans is we’ve got three really quality individuals that are vying for the top office as the majority leader, and so, I’ve got nothing bad to say about any of the other two candidates, but I think we’ve got a real winner in John Thune,” Rounds added.