Ginni Thomas

Leaders with Ginni Thomas: Florida Gov. Rick Scott on ‘frustrating’ Washington politics

Ginni Thomas Contributor
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PREVIEW: Interview with Florida Governor Rick Scott (R)

While most of the media coverage of last fall’s elections focused on House and Senate races, there was an unusual amount of drama in statehouses around the country, where almost half the states elected new governors (seven Democrats and 17 Republicans). Perhaps the most significant race took place in Florida. Rick Scott, a health care executive and political neophyte, took on a popular former congressman in the GOP primary and a well-funded opponent in the general election, and beat them both.

Scott, the son of a truck driver and a JC Penney clerk, promised to govern as a small government conservative, and almost immediately began to make good on his word. First he made headlines by turning down President Obama’s offer of $2.3 billion for a high speed rail system in the state. Next he began to cinch the belt on education, taxes and pensions.

His rapidly tumbling poll numbers that resulted have raised at least one obvious and troubling question: Voters may say they want fiscal austerity — they may even vote for it — but are they willing to live with the consequences?

Florida may soon become a case study for the nation.

TheDC’s Ginni Thomas caught up with Gov. Scott before a recent speech in the Washington area to find out more:

Is Washington picking winners and losers based on politics?

“I was at a National Governors Association meeting – and it appeared that Democrat governors were getting their waivers done promptly and the Republicans weren’t, and that’s not right because the Medicaid recipients in Florida are just as important as the ones from another states.”

Come back and see the full interview with Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.

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