Now that Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate in this year’s elections, discussions over who will replace retiring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, have come into sharper focus.

The new Republican majority will be tasked with selecting a caucus leader after he is sworn in on January 3, since McConnell announced earlier this year that he will leave office in the new term.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott has renewed his push for the leadership position after Republicans flipped four seats from Democrats in this year’s elections, falling short of a potential supermajority.

Scott, a Trump-backed candidate who was elected to a second term this week, reiterated his intent and belief that he will be the next Senate majority leader on Wednesday, telling Fox News, “I’m going to win.”

“I’ve been talking to my Republican colleagues, guess what. They want change,” Scott said. “They know Trump has a mandate, they want to be part of that mandate. They want to be treated as equals.”

An Axios report released Friday said Republican President-elect Donald Trump privately dismissed Scott as an option weeks ago, telling allies the senator’s bid was “not serious.”

A senior Trump campaign official denied the report and dismissed the anonymous sources Axios cited, saying Trump “has not weighed in on the leadership race and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.”

Some allies close to Trump see Scott as a viable option, which the senator has tried to translate into a public endorsement of Trump.

Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Senator Mike Lee of Utah have publicly supported Scott as an option and have urged Trump to do the same. During a recent interview with conservative radio host Jesse Kelly, Johnson called Scott an “extraordinary individual, very successful in the business world, a very successful governor of Florida” who “turned that state around” and “entrapped (Florida Governor) Ron DeSantis ‘. for success.”

“Jesse, if you have any influence on President Trump, make sure Trump comes out publicly and says he wants to work with someone as talented as Rick Scott to advance his agenda,” Johnson said, emphasizing that Republicans ‘must deliver’. while it is in the majority.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson praised Scott on X as “the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump” and urged people to “call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott. Don’t let McConnell get away with it again.”

Dustin Grage, Townhall columnist and self-proclaimed “Minnesota GOP Hype Man,” also endorsed Scott, writing Friday on X, formerly Twitter, that while he is “not the biggest fan of Rick Scott,” he believes he is “the best among the people’. those in charge” and “any pragmatic conservative would take him (Senator John) Thune or (Senator John) Cornyn.”

Scott’s communications director, McKinley Lewis, said in a statement shared with Politico that “Senator Scott, as Republican leader of the Senate, will bring the winning conservative state of Florida to Washington and be a true ally to President Trump to advance his agenda.” and fundamentally change its direction.” country.”

Scott’s team also posted a number of other messages of support, including from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who has been instrumental in turning out voters for Trump. Other messages of support came from former Secret Service agent turned conservative radio personality Dan Bongino and conservative activist and commentator Laura Loomer, as well as Johnson and RNC board member Amy Kremer.

Scott’s campaign responded via email to a Newsweek asked for comment on Saturday by referring to the website and posts on X, which have generated millions of views and tens of thousands of likes and shares.

A post asking for shares “if you’re ready for a conservative Senate Majority Leader who will work to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” had more than 16,000 reposts as of Saturday afternoon.

Like the presidential election, which remained close until Election Day, the race to replace McConnell as Republican Senate leader has featured a number of candidates who have all fought hard for the position with no single candidate having had a noticeable advantage so far .

Other candidates who have laid claim to the leadership role include Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who currently serves as minority whip; Texas Senator John Cornyn; and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming. As whip, Thune is seen by many as the front-runner, with Barrasso highly regarded as the third-ranking Republican in the Senate.

In his cover-up against McConnell on Saturday, Carlson lambasted Senate Majority Leader Scott’s other options, calling Cornyn “an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from those of Liz Cheney.”

He wrote: “Mitch McConnell is plotting a coup against his agenda by calling early Senate leadership elections. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and his positions.”

Cornyn previously served as party whip during Trump’s first administration, helping to advance his agenda and often citing his experience in that process to help him learn “what works and what doesn’t” in an effort to “restore our institution to the essential role it fulfills’. our constitutional republic.”

Meanwhile, McConnell told reporters on Wednesday that he attributes the Republicans’ victory in the Senate to the “quality of the candidates,” adding: “If you’re looking for a simple answer, I think it’s partly a referendum on was the current government. were just not happy with this administration and the Democratic candidate was part of that.”

Updated 11/9/24 1:52 PM ET: This article has been updated with commentary from Scott’s campaign and additional information.

Updated 11/9/24 4:23 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information.