Scott wants term limits for Congress

By Jim Turner
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott has made imposing congressional term limits a priority of his U.S. Senate campaign. But if elected, it appears he might loosely impose such a limit on himself until the rules he wants are in place.

Asked if he would vow to limit himself to one or two terms if elected, Scott told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, “My plan is to serve two terms.”

The governor, who will turn 66 less than a month after the November election, continues to call for congressional term limits as part of a campaign strategy that includes criticizing Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s lengthy public resume.

Scott’s campaign, for example, released an ad Wednesday that plays up Nelson’s career.

“In 1978, the Ford Pinto was the best-selling small car in America, gas was 63 cents a gallon and Bill Nelson was elected to Congress,” the ad said. “Forty years later, a lot of things changed, but Bill Nelson is still in Washington, still collecting a paycheck.”

Scott simply repeated his preference for term limits when asked Wednesday if U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, should go. At 76, McConnell is nearly five months older than Nelson and reached the Senate 16 years before Florida’s senior senator.

Scott also wouldn’t agree to summarize state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam as a “career politician.”

“He’s going to be on the ballot,” Scott said. “The citizens get to make those decisions. We have term limits in our state. I think they’ve worked. I think we ought to have term limits for Congress.”