TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott is being mentioned as a possible vice-presidential nominee for Donald Trump. Scott said his focus is on doing his job, but he didn’t say outright that being the vice-presidential nominee is out of the question.
Speculation about Scott on a Trump ticket spilled into the public Wednesday when a Washington Post reporter put the Florida governor's name on a short list of names that Trump might consider.
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It also comes after Scott wrote an op-ed for USA Today praising the Republican front runner:
“I know Donald Trump personally, and while I currently have no plans to endorse a candidate before Florida’s March presidential primary, there is no doubt that Donald is a man who speaks and tweets his mind freely. But I don’t think his ability to give the most interesting interviews or speeches is the only thing that has him leading in the polls. I think he is capturing the frustration of many Americans after seven years of President Obama’s very intentional government takeover of the U.S. economy.”
Asked if he were interested in becoming Trump's No. 2, Scott said his focus remains on Florida.
"What I focus on is my job here," Scott said Wednesday. "I have three years left in this job. We’ve added a 1,335,000 jobs. I want to add more jobs.”
Trump supporter and state Rep. Larry Ahern thinks Scott would be a good choice.
“You look at the politics of Washington and you say, 'What’s the biggest problem here?' I think it's the political insider that always being played," said Ahern, R-Pinellas County.
Super lobbyist Bill Rubin has known Scott longer than other Tallahassee insider and thinks he'd make a smart choice for Trump.
“They’re both business people that are not connected to the political establishment in a year when the political establishment is not the choice, in my opinion, of either party," Rubin said.
If Scott were to run with Trump, under Florida law he could remain governor until the election. If he were to win, the governor’s job would go to Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Contera. But Lopez-Contera is running to replace Marco Rubio in Florida's U.S. Senate seat. If both won the new offices, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi would become governor.
If a Trump/Scott ticket lost in November, Scott could remain governor.