Cruz made the announcement less than an hour before Republican senators were scheduled to vote for their next leader to replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

But like the president-elect, Rick Scott could be in a position to push the country sharply to the right if Republicans in the U.S. Senate elect him as their leader on Wednesday. Scott, 71, is a relative newcomer to the Senate who lacks leadership experience,

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz announced Wednesday he was backing Rick Scott of Florida over fellow Texan John Cornyn in the vote for the next Senate majority leader. In a post of X, Cruz said he believed Senate Republicans needed a change in leadership.