Florida: Democrats tout Scott for president. Sunshine State Democrats, in an effort to get their party to hold newly reelected Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) feet to the fire, sent an email to party activists contending that the GOP is planning the “nightmare” of a Scott presidential bid. “They’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get him to consider running,” said the email. The email is based on one GOP insider’s comment that he had talked to Scott about the idea. But, writes Sunshine State News’ Jeff Henderson, with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio both eyeing the race, “don’t expect to see Rick Scott hanging out in Iowa cornfields or having coffee in New Hampshire.” Stay tuned.
North Carolina: Butterfield to head CBC. US Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D) was elected chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Wednesday, telling the group, “We’ve got to fight the Republicans … to make sure there are no draconian cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, which is where we fund our programs,” reports the News & Observer. Butterfield, 67, is a former North Carolina Supreme Court justice.
Mississippi: Wicker to head NRSC. US Sen. Roger Wicker (R) was elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee last week, defeating US Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV). In 2016, the GOP will be defending 24 Senate seats, to the Democrats’ 10. Wicker said he intends “to ensure that we have the resources available to preserve our Republican majority.”