Press Releases

Senator Rick Scott Named to ‘Most Corrupt’ Politicians List

May 22, 2024

End Citizens United (ECU), a grassroots campaign finance reform organization, today inducted Senator Rick Scott to its inaugural list of ‘Most Corrupt’ politicians running for reelection. The initiative is aimed at exposing and defeating the most egregious perpetrators of corruption in Washington.

“Senator Scott epitomizes the rot within Congress, shamelessly abusing his position of power for personal gain,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “His track record is marred by corruption, from cozying up to big donors to defending Big Pharma’s price gouging. Every agenda he has pursued has been for the benefit of the wealthy elite––like himself––at the expense of working families and senior citizens. We’re going to hold him accountable by exposing his abysmal record and engaging with voters through Election Day to make sure they know just how corrupt he is.”

Scott’s career has been rife with corruption and he’s continued that legacy in the Senate. Over the course of his career, he has accepted $1.25 million from corporate PACs and has championed a corporate agenda that hurts Florida families. He defended Big Pharma’s interests by opposing every effort to lower the price of prescription drugs, voted against reducing the price of insulin, and even led the charge to eliminate drug safety regulations. But before being elected to the Senate, Scott oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history. And as Governor, he enacted an unconstitutional program to funnel money to a company his wife held a $62 million stake in.

As the richest person in Congress, Scott spent $64 million of his own money to buy the U.S. Senate seat in 2018. Since coming to Washington, he has used and abused his office to enrich himself, growing his net worth by tens of millions of dollars. He has pursued a dangerous agenda of raising taxes on working families and senior citizens to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans, while making it easier for the wealthy and corporations to cheat on their taxes. Scott has also been working overtime to eliminate Medicare and Social Security, canceling bipartisan investments in American jobs and infrastructure, and letting corporations continue their price gouging scams that raise inflation.

Scott has opposed every effort to increase transparency and accountability around big money in politics. He voted against the Freedom To Vote Act, and voted against the DISCLOSE Act. Before running for Senate, he set up his own super PAC and illegally raised millions for his race; an issue for which ECU filed an FEC complaint and a successful lawsuit.

ECU will highlight Scott’s record of corruption and will work to engage voters and the media between now and Election Day, including in a new digital video released today.

ECU is dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money and attempts to block access to the ballot box. Since its founding in 2015, the group has had over 1 million donors and raised $200 million, with an average donation of just $14. The group has more than 4 million members nationwide.

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