Sen. Rick Scott calls 2022 election a ‘complete disappointment’

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said on Friday that the 2022 midterm elections were a “complete disappointment” for Republicans, lamenting low voter turnout on Election Day.

“Here’s what happened to us. Election Day, our voters didn’t show up. We didn’t get enough voters. It was a complete disappointment,” Scott told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his prime-time show.

Hannity asked Scott, “Where did all this pie-in-the-sky talk about a wave and a tsunami election come from? Because I never saw it.”

The senator, who also heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that Republicans were trending toward success in the polls leading up to the election but that ultimately GOP voters did not show up.

“I think we’ve got to reflect now. What didn’t happen?” said Scott. “I think we didn’t have enough of a positive message. We said everything about how bad the Biden agenda was. It’s bad, the Democrats are radical, but we have to have a plan of what we stand for.”

The comments from Scott come amid reports that the Florida senator would run for GOP leader, challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has held the position for years.

Republicans were expected to make significant gains in the 2022 midterm elections as Americans struggle with high prices eating up their paychecks. The party was expected to claim the House majority by wide margins, and polling showed the GOP had a chance to claim the Senate as well.

Control of both chambers of Congress is not yet known, but it appears that Democrats, who won the seat that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), outperformed low expectations.

On Friday, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for a pause on the Senate GOP leadership vote after news emerged that Scott would launch a bid to replace McConnell.

And on Friday night, Arizona Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters, who lost his challenge to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), slammed McConnell, saying that senators in his party should not elect McConnell as leader.

Scott told Hannity on Friday night that the party shouldn’t “attack” Republicans who deviate from the mainstream but should instead be willing to “have a conversation about these things.”

Scott also made multiple plugs for Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker, who will fight it out in a runoff election against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in December.

“We have got to do everything we can to help Herschel,” he said.