“That was probably the first thing Chuck did to show him as a national political leader,” Kessler recalled. Regarding Scott’s plan, he said of Schumer, “I’m sure he sees it and says to himself, ‘I’ve taken this apart before.'”
Privately, Democrats are being realistic about their chances of holding onto the Senate and are saying they should use the “gift” Scott gave them to push Republicans on the defensive. For example, on the day of the State of the Union announcement, Senate Democrats ran an ad accusing McConnell of fighting “for the very rich insiders who got rich keeping prices high.”
During their retreat on Wednesday, the Democrats heard a presentation by Jeff Garin, a pollster, that impressed many senators in attendance. Polls by Garin found that more voters blame inflation on the coronavirus pandemic, “Chinese and foreign supply chains” and “large corporations raising prices to increase their profits” than President Biden.
“The bottom line here is that the Democrats have a very strong case to be sued for rising spending,” Garin said.
Republicans see attacking Scott as a game of desperation in an election that could become difficult for Senate Democrats, who must defend incumbents in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire, while trying to win seats in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“If I were them, I’d try to use it too,” said Justin Seife, a Republican consultant who runs Florida’s influential political news website. “But they will have to put a lot of money into it. How much can they get into the message about Rick Scott?”
Two Looks for Victory
McConnell and Scott have fundamentally different views on how to win the Senate, say people who have studied both men.