Gov. Rick Scott has decided to return to the campaign trail by standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump — a close ally whose support Scott has downplayed in recent months — when the president comes to Florida on Halloween.Scott announced after Hurricane Michael hit Oct. 10 that he was indefinitely suspending campaign trail appearances in his Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson so he could focus on storm recovery. The decision dovetailed with what one Republican insider had groused was a “keep away from Trump” strategy, in which the governor appeared with the president at official office events, but not overtly political rallies.
But hurricane recovery is demanding less of Scott’s time now, his fight against Nelson remains very close, Trump’s approval ratings continue to marginally improve in the state and GOP voters appear enthusiastic enough to cast doubt on the widely held theory that a “blue wave” of Democratic voters may swamp Republican hopes in the nation's largest swing state.
“Recovery has been going well, but there’s still a lot of work to be done and Governor Scott, unlike Bill Nelson who said he’d done everything he could do after one week, will continue to work to restore those communities until his last day in office,” Scott campaign spokesman Chris Hartline said in a written statement. He noted that storm recovery is not over and that the governor will visit the Panhandle regularly in his official capacity.
Vice President Mike Pence campaigned this week with Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis in Jacksonville, inspected hurricane damage with Scott and appeared at a fundraiser for a Scott super PAC.
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05.19.2025