High-profile Trump surrogate casts ballot for former president in early voting

Scott emphasized that "we're going to continue to see more Republicans vote early, vote often, and take advantage of every option on the table to vote."

The former president was a very vocal early voting critic, blaming it in part for what he has repeatedly claimed - without offering proof - was massive fraud that led to his 2020 election defeat at the hands of President Biden.

But in recent weeks, Trump apparently has listened to his advisers as he's implored Republicans to vote early. And while Democrats still have the clear edge when it comes to early voting, Republicans appear to be narrowing the gap.

Asked about whether Trump has helped or hurt the GOP effort, Scott emphasized that "this cycle the president has been crystal clear. He wants every Republican voting every single way they can. We're going to make sure we win this election, and I'm glad that President Trump and I are on the same page once again."

States vastly expanded early voting - by absentee ballot, voting by mail or early in-person voting - during the 2020 election, due to health concerns amid the coronavirus, the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century. And four years later, most states have similar rules.

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, last year launched an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

After ending his White House bid, Scott endorsed Trump in January at a campaign event in New Hampshire, ahead of the state's first-in-the-nation Republican presidential primary. And Scott became a leading surrogate for the former president.

Scott was also considered to be among a handful of politicians in contention as Trump's running mate, before the former president named Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his junior partner on the GOP national ticket.

The conservative senator, who remains a very popular figure in the GOP, is also known for his fundraising prowess, and has helped raise money for Trump as well as for Republican Senate candidates, as the GOP works to win back the chamber's majority in the 2024 elections.

"I'll be talking about President Trump and four more years and why that matters and in addition to that, I'll be talking about the importance of winning the Senate, and I'm excited about where we are," he emphasized.