Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R.) is set to formally announce his candidacy to take Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson’s seat in November.
Scott told Politico in an interview released Monday morning that he will run his Senate campaign like he did his re-election campaign 2014. He has financed campaigns with his personal fortune and his strong donor base, spending about $13 million of his own money in 2014 and at least $73 million in 2010 when he won the governor’s mansion as a political newcomer.
`"I’m planning on winning. I’m going to run to win," Scott said. "I’m committed to raising the resources required just like I did in 2014. I’m going to aggressively travel the state and tell people why they need to support me. But we’ll see."
Scott ran as a Tea Party candidate in 2010, emphasizing his success as a businessman and promising job creation. He is proud of his record on the economy in Florida.
"What I focused on when I got elected was getting 700,000 jobs over seven years and changing the direction of the state," Scott said. "And the business community has really shown up. We cut their taxes, reduced regulation and we’ve added right about 1.5 million jobs."
He has also been known for his relationship with President Donald Trump, but he stopped short of describing himself as a "Donald Trump Republican" when he was asked.
"I consider myself Rick Scott. I don’t consider myself any type of anything," Scott told Politico.
"I run on what I believe in. I’ve been very clear," he also said. "People ask me that a bunch of times, about ‘Are you this or are you that?’ No. I’m Rick Scott. I grew up poor. I believe in jobs."
He added that he plans to retain his independence as a senator and would not be a "rubber stamp" for Trump or anyone else.
"If it’s good for us, I’m going to support what the White House wants to do," he said. "If it’s not good for Florida, I’m going to oppose. I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody."
His opponent Nelson is one of the ten Democratic senators running in states Trump won in 2016, and with polls showing a potential race likely to be tight, the national party is likely to spend a great deal of money to try to keep the seat. As the third-largest state, and the largest one likely to have a tight race in 2018, Florida will likely see one of the most expensive Senate contests in U.S. history.
Scott is expected to formally announce his candidacy during a 10 A.M. event Monday at a local construction company in Orlando.