MSNBC host Joe Scarborough might run for Senate
Scarborough, a former GOP congressman from Florida, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday that he's always wanted to leave the media industry for some kind of "public service" position.
"I've already said at some point, I want to get back into service, public service, and hopefully I can do it while a Republican's at the White House," he said.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) is widely expected to leave the Senate in 2016 in order to run for president. However, Scarborough said he was more interested in running for the seat held by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida), who is up for reelection in 2018.
"I don't think in '16, but who knows?" Scarborough said. "In '18, Bill Nelson's up, and I don't think Bill Nelson will be sticking around, so you know, one of these years, I think, one of these years if I did something, I'd probably look to run in Florida."
Scarborough, whose "Morning Joe" show is based in New York City, said he still has a residence in Florida, which he called his "home."
"I do have a residence in Florida. And I have a 23 year old son down there, and my mom's still down there, so I still get down to Pensacola an awful lot. It's still home, and it feels a lot more like home [than] being in New York and Connecticut in April where it's 40 degrees and raining," he said.
In 2011, Scarborough, who was in the House of Representative from 1995 until 2001, claimed Senate Republicans had attempted to recruit him to run against Nelson but he declined.