Rick Scott says Republicans need to target Latinos, working class whites with messaging

Sen. Rick Scott. Image via AP.

While President Donald Trump didn’t win a second term, he did win what Sen. Rick Scott says was a “decisive victory” in the Sunshine State.

The Senator discussed that, as well as what it means for current politicians like him, Trump and the GOP going forward, on Monday’s edition of “Fox and Friends” on the Fox News Channel.

“If Republicans go out and talk to everybody, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin or your religion, go talk to everybody about lower taxes, more opportunity, less regulation. better schools, supporting law enforcement, guess what?

“If that’s what Republicans do, we win,” Scott said.

The Senator noted his own three victories in the state and the President’s win last month as evidence that strategy works, one outlined in a Saturday opinion piece for FoxNews.com.

Scott, who has disclaimed interest in running in 2024 and claimed he would back another try in four years by Trump, said that road map to victory is one that can be deployed nationwide, even in states with more competitive Democratic parties than Florida’s.

“President Trump’s decisive election victory in my home state of Florida offers an important lesson for Republicans nationwide: If we show voters that Republicans are the party of working-class Americans, a party that reaches out to people of all races and creeds, and a party that fights for equal opportunity for all we will win in future elections,” Scott wrote.

Among the Senator’s recommendations: make a play for Latinos.

“Too many Floridians are familiar with the language of equality of outcomes, and they know that it leaves everyone equally poor. They have heard the empty promises of the late communist leaders Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro of Cuba. And more importantly, Floridians have seen the violence and authoritarianism that too often follows those empty promises,” Scott asserted.

The Senator noted “the growth in support for President Trump wasn’t limited to Latinos only. President Trump saw an 8-point increase among all non-White voters in Florida, according to exit polls, and made significant inroads in predominantly African American communities.”

“Republicans have built a multiethnic, working-class coalition of Florida voters,” Scott contended. “President Trump had incredible success in Florida because his message resonated with this diverse coalition of voters who don’t neatly fit into the pundits’ and pollsters’ conception of the political world. And he worked to earn votes in my state — a necessity that Florida Democrats seemingly forgot about decades ago.”

With Scott heading the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the next two years, it will be worth watching to see if this strategy translates beyond Florida in the midterms.