Rick Scott takes veiled shot at Mitch McConnell for 'trash talk' about struggling GOP Senate candidates

Last month, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that the House of Representatives was less likely to flip to Republicans due to the below-average "candidate quality" of Republicans running for Senate.

In an interview with Politico, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) took a veiled shot at McConnell for casting doubt on GOP Senate prospects, even as hopefuls such as Mehmet Oz, Blake Masters, and Herschel Walker stumble on the campaign trail.

“If you trash talk our candidates... you hurt our chances of winning, and you hurt our candidates’ ability to raise money,” Scott said. “I know they’re good candidates, because I’ve been talking to them and they’re working their butts off.”

Scott has been taking a significant amount of criticism from Republicans who are upset that the GOP is not in better condition to control the Senate, highlighted by a recent media leak questioning Scott's decision to spend time vacationing on a luxury yacht in Italy even as polls show multiple Republican Senate candidates struggling.

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Scott told Politico that critics of his Italian yacht adventure were well off the mark, as he said it was done to celebrate the anniversary of his marriage.

“We had a big celebration date, and we went and celebrated," he said. "I’d do it every day. And I hope everybody else has the same opportunity to be married to their best friend and their high school sweetheart for 50 years.”