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Rick Scott says Bill Nelson has been around too long. What about Mitch McConnell?

The governor says term limits for members of Congress should apply to everyone.
 
Published June 14, 2018|Updated June 14, 2018

The thrust of Gov. Rick Scott's U.S. Senate campaign is that Sen. Bill Nelson has been around for too long, including the exaggeration that Nelson has been in Washington for half a century — a claim repeated in two ads.

A three-term senator, Nelson has been in the Senate since 2001 (he earlier served 12 years in Congress).

He ranks 18th in Senate seniority. Nine Republicans have been around longer, most of them much longer.

Nelson will turn 76 in September. Fifteen current senators are older, including Republicans Charles Grassley, John McCain and Orrin Hatch.

The senator who is closest to Nelson in age? That's Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who turned 76 in February and has held office for 33 years, nearly twice as long as Nelson.

"I've been clear. I believe in term limits," Scott said. "I put an ad up. It's part of what I believe in. I believe in term limits."

READ MORE: Scott's term limits idea: Hugely popular, highly unrealistic

Scott said if elected to the Senate in November, "my plan is to serve two terms" or 12 years in Washington.