REPUBLICANS NOT WORRIED ABOUT RICK SCOTT FACTOR

By the News Service of Florida

Republicans expect that Gov. Rick Scott could help the party in its drive to boot President Barack Obama from the White House, party leaders said on a conference call Tuesday meant to mark a year from the 2012 general election. Florida Democrats made it clear this weekend at their convention that they will try to tie the unpopular Scott to the GOP's presidential nominee, but Rick Wiley, political director for the Republican National Committee, said Scott and other new GOP governors in battleground states could change the equation for President Barack Obama. "The infrastructure from those governors helps us up and down the ticket," Wiley said. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus shrugged off concerns about the impact of Scott's popularity on the race and pointed out that the governor's numbers have recovered some. "Rick Scott's not on the ballot, Obama is," Preibus said. "And I think that's all that matters."