U.S. Sen. Rick Scott used his platform at the America First Agenda Summit Monday to offer advice to prospective candidates on how they might win elections themselves.
Scott participated in a roundtable urging an "energy independent" America with two members of the U.S. House and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. But the topics went beyond drilling for oil to drilling for votes.
"We need to talk about why we're better for people," Scott, who currently chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said.
"Everything's on our side. Joe Biden's not going to get better," Scott added.
"Great candidates, great environment, raise money," was how Scott summed up the Republican challenge for the 2022 cycle.
Asked if he were to give advice to a Senate candidate, Scott offered a number of pointers.
"I've only had one Primary and three Generals so I'm not an expert on it," Scott noted, before dropping knowledge.
"The first thing is nobody's going to vote for you unless they think you care about them," Scott said. "The first thing you have to do is show people that you really care and you really understand what issue they're dealing with."
Scott also stressed "competence" and the need to "talk about issues people care about."
"Don't talk about things they don't care about," Scott warned, citing gas prices, food prices, and baby formula shortages as good topics, as well as "their kids not being taught the right things in school, and living in bad neighborhoods, stuff like that."
"That's what people care about," Scott said.
Scott added that candidates should talk about their background and why they're different, citing Pennsylvania's Mehmet Oz as someone who will win because he is telling his story.
"He's willing to tell his story. Here's a guy whose family came from Turkey. He's busting his butt and had success and he's doing this because he wants the same thing for everybody else," Scott said. "How do you not vote for someone like that?"
Fundraising is also key, Scott noted.
"If you're not willing to ask everybody and their brother for every dime they've got, don't get into this job," Scott said. "Because it's part of the job. You have to raise money to get your message out."
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