Ledyard King

WASHINGTON - Florida Gov. Rick Scott suggested it might be another year before he decides whether to run for the Senate against Democrat Bill Nelson, but added it’s a job he could envision performing.

While some business executives and governors who come to Capitol Hill have difficulty with the transition, Scott, a Republican, said his background in different private-sector roles — as a lawyer, investor and CEO of a major health care firm — makes him well-suited to adjust to the job of lawmaker.

“Being in the legislative process in Congress is similar to being an investor and being on a board because basically you’re getting all your things done by trying to organize people to head down that direction,” he told USA TODAY Wednesday. “It’s a little bit different but it’s similar.”

Scott is in Washington this week to celebrate the inauguration of his friend Donald Trump as the nation’s 45th president. While here, he’ll attend social and official functions tied to Friday’s inauguration, take part in a roundtable with other GOP governors on how to replace the Affordable Care Act, and meet with lawmakers to discuss priorities for Florida.

Those priorities include: a workable alternative to the health care law, federal flexibility in how the state runs its Medicaid program, an overhaul of President Barack Obama’s Cuba policies, and more money for infrastructure especially Florida’s ports.

Scott, who is barred from running for a third term, has often been mentioned as the obvious Republican to take on Nelson, a three-term Democratic incumbent, in 2018. But the governor has tamped down expectations, saying he’s been laser focused on his job in Tallahassee.

On Wednesday he talked about how often he gets approached about running, how his capacity to self-fund means he’s not worried about pressure from donors to rush, and how he’s a known commodity among Florida voters.

“In 2010 when I ran (for governor), I was a business guy like Trump who had never run before,” said Scott, who spent $73 million of his own fortune to win. “Now they can say, after six years (in office), this is what this guy’s probably going to do because this is what he’s done for the last several years.”

A Gravis Marketing poll released in late November shows Scott faces an uphill battle if he decides to take on Nelson, who has said he’s running for a fourth term.

The poll of 3,250 registered voters in Florida found the incumbent Democrat leading the Republican governor by a 51-38 percent margin in a head-to head matchup with 11 percent undecided. The poll has a margin of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

But it may be another year or more before Scott makes a decision. He pointed out that he announced his candidacy for governor only months before the 2010 GOP primary.

“I don’t think people are looking for long races anymore,” he said.

Scott said he won’t jump in the race unless he thinks he could make a difference as a senator.

“I’ve run (in the past) if I thought I could have a positive impact. I want to accomplish something,” he told USA TODAY. “You have to have a purpose. If I was going to do it, I would have to come to the conclusion that I could have positive impact on people’s lives and I would focus on Florida.”

Scott touched on several other issues:

• On the pressure from people who want to succeed Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi if she joins the Trump administration (the governor gets to name her replacement):

“You wouldn’t believe how many people call. One person called me and said, ‘You know, you don’t have be an attorney to be appointed. To be elected you do, but not appointed. I’ll bring my own lawyer up. ...’ I don’t have anybody in mind. I’ve appointed a lot of people like sheriffs and county commissioners. Generally, what I try to do is find somebody that I believe would be really good at the job.”

• On his hope that Trump reverses Obama’s policies regarding Cuba:

“We’ve basically appeased (President) Raul Castro. If you look at what Obama did this last week (rescinding the wet foot/dry foot policy), what did we get out of it? We just appeased a dictator. a brutal dictatorship. I’d like a smarter policy to hopefully promote democracy in Cuba and all through Latin America.”

On ending the Affordable Care Act:

• “Government health care is not the solution. A free-market health care system where you personally can afford — your employer can afford — to pay for your health care is what we need to do. And at the state level for Medicaid, I want state flexibility. I know what our citizens need. I don’t need the federal government to dictate to me the rules for Medicaid the way they’ve done in the past.”

• On whether he expects to have a better relationship with the Trump administration:

“It’s been sort of a pain the last six years because it hasn’t seemed under President Obama that the Cabinet was saying ‘How can we help you?’ My hope is that these new Cabinet picks will be receptive to issues we’re dealing with. My goal is to spend time with all of them.”

Contact Ledyard King atlking@gannett.com