Scott’s increasingly high profile has sparked buzz that he is readying a national campaign. In August, he traveled to Iowa, which hosts the GOP’s first presidential nominating contest, and he is expected to return to the state later this week. Last fall, he made a trip to New Hampshire, another key state on the calendar.
And Opportunity Matters Fund’s ads have backed a pair of House Republicans in Iowa and the GOP Senate nominee in Nevada, a third early-voting state in the presidential nominating process. Scott’s leadership PAC, meanwhile, has lavished hundreds of thousands of dollars on Republicans in his home state, which hosts the first-in-the-South primary.
Altogether, Scott has already visited more than a half-dozen states to stump for Republican candidates running in key races, including Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
The senator has also drawn attention from major donors — including tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who has donated $20 million to Opportunity Matters Fund. The organization recently received $2.5 million from another major donor, South Carolina businessperson and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro.
DeCasper, the first Black female chief of staff in the Senate, has worked in a variety of roles for Scott, who is known for keeping a tight inner circle. In a statement, the senator called DeCasper his “most trusted adviser for the last decade,” adding: “I know that she will continue to have an outsized impact on expanding our mission to every corner of the country.”
DeCasper said in a statement that “this new chapter will allow me to expand and grow his vision of opportunity and optimism for our country,” and that “now is the time to take on new and exciting challenges that build on the momentum we’ve created over the last decade.”
Scott has refused to confirm or deny that he is interested in running for president in 2024, saying that he is focused on the midterms, when he is running for reelection to the Senate and is heavily favored to win another term. During an interview with Fox News last year, the senator said he was open to running as former President Donald Trump’s No. 2, should Trump wage a 2024 bid.
Taking over for DeCasper in Scott’s Senate office will be Neri Martinez, who has served as the Republican staff director for the Senate Select Committee on Aging, on which Scott is the ranking member.
