Rick Scott (R) announced his bid to unseat Sen. Bill Nelson (D), the Trump administration handed its longtime ally and soon-to-be Senate candidate a political victory. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made a special visit to the Sunshine State in early January to announce that he was removing the state’s coastal waters from consideration for future offshore oil drilling. That an administration hell-bent on boosting domestic fossil fuel production chose to wade into the race on this particular issue is surprising. And it’s hard to see how the potential benefit to Scott was worth the trouble the administration created for itself. (PolitiFact declared Scott’s recent reversal a “Full Flop.”) But with both candidates now publicly opposing offshore drilling, Stipanovich doubts it will become a hot-button issue in the race.

Source: Huffington Post April 11, 2018 16:30 UTC