Rick Scott dials up election denialism

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R) is once again casting doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections.

Why it matters: Scott has a long history of election denialism, and as some polls show his race against Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell heating up , so are his claims of widespread fraud.

Driving the news: At a campaign stop in Pinecrest last Friday, Scott likened Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's contested victory to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

• "We just had an election stolen in Venezuela. So what did Biden say yesterday? 'Oh, we should have a new election,'" Scott said. "Well, I didn't like the election in 2020 in the United States. Could we get a new election?"

Scott also recently echoed a right-wing talking point falsely suggesting noncitizens often vote in elections.

• If Democrats win in November, "They won't have to commit fraud to win elections anymore because they'll just let every illegal immigrant vote," he told attendees at the Sarasota Pie Rally .

Scott's most frequent claim of fraud relates to his 2018 election to the Senate.

👀 The latest: Scott's campaign spokesperson Will Hampson wouldn't tell Axios whether Scott intends to accept the outcome of the 2024 election.

• "Senator Scott has always said his goal is 100 percent voter participation and 0 percent fraud," Hampson said.

Flashback: Scott began alleging voter fraud after his Senate election in 2018, and former President Trump boosted those claims. Besides Trump, Scott was one of the only other notable Republicans to use such rhetoric at the time.

• Scott then voted against the certification of Pennsylvania's election results in 2020. He later conceded that Biden had won.

Reality check: There's no evidence to support Scott's claim of fraud in 2018.

• Broward's election office had a reputation in 2018 for its sluggish vote counting and glitch-prone equipment, but none of these issues amounted to fraud .
• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated over 18 months and found " no evidence " of fraud.