Republican Sen. Rick Scott is reportedly considering a presidential bid as fellow Floridian Ron DeSantis struggles

• Republican Sen. Rick Scott is reportedly considering a presidential run.
• According to The New York Times, Scott is eyeing a late entry into the field.
• Scott’s consideration comes as fellow Floridian Ron DeSantis struggles.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott is again considering a possible 2024 presidential campaign amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ struggles thus far, according to The New York Times.

The Times reports that Scott, who was also governor of Florida, is considering a late entry into the growing 2024 Republican field. Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a wide lead over a swath of challengers, including DeSantis. If Scott were to enter, there would then be four Floridians in a field that already has Trump, DeSantis, and Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez.

Scott and DeSantis have a frosty relationship, though Scott often demurs when asked about his successor. Scott would also have to oppose Trump, despite going out of his way to praise the former president when the Floridian led the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.

In a statement to the Times, a senior Scott advisor emphasized that senator’s focus is on winning reelection to the Senate.

“It’s flattering that some have mentioned the possibility of Senator Scott running for President, but as he’s said many times, he’s running for re-election to the Senate,” Chris Hartline said in a statement.

President Joe Biden trolled Scott for months over pre-midterm policy proposals that included a provision calling for the sunset of every federal program every five years. Biden argued that it would put unnecessarily put the widely popular Social Security and Medicare in jeopardy. After months of back and forth, Scott later amended his plan to say it would not include Social Security and Medicare.

Scott is enormously wealthy, having already spent well over $100 million on his gubernatorial and Senate races, meaning he could easily cover the significant upfront costs of staffing up a presidential campaign.

That said, the Republican National Committee is imposing requirements for the first debate in August that sheer wealth won’t cover, especially the requirement that each candidate must generate donations from at least 40,000 national contributors. Scott has sought to build a national profile in the Senate, but the timing of his potential entry could complicate his ability to qualify for the stage. Candidates must also meet a polling threshold of at least 1% in three national polls or two national polls and a state poll.