About
Scott Franklin (R-Fla.) was first sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, 2021, representing Florida’s 15th Congressional District. He ran for reelection in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement, now representing the 18th District. After easily winning the GOP primary and with no Democratic opponent, he won the general election in November.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Franklin served in leadership capacities with a wide range of civic and community organizations, and most recently as city commissioner and mayor pro tem of Lakeland, Florida. A former Navy jet pilot, he retired at the rank of commander after 26 years and also worked for 20 years in the insurance industry, serving as CEO of Lanier Upshaw in Lakeland.
According to a report by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Franklin is worth as much as $39.6 million, and actually campaigned on a platform to lower taxes for the ultra rich. During his campaign, he promoted a video made by Prager University contending that the progressive income tax is unfair to people like him who work hard and enjoy financial success.
After the 2020 presidential election, Franklin helped spread the Big Lie, objected to certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, and voted against both impeaching Trump for inciting the mob and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Franklin joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- Although Franklin admitted that Trump bore some responsibility for the violent attack on the Capitol, he rejected impeachment, arguing that it wouldn’t “do anything to heal the hard feelings of 75 million people who did vote for Trump.” He added that doing so would seem “more like a kangaroo court” and that “without due process that should be a part of impeaching any president, we risk turning what should be a very serious legal proceeding into a partisan tool to be used anytime a majority party wants to declare loss of faith in a president.”
- Franklin released a statement against H.R. 21 that called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, claiming “it is inappropriate for Congress to instruct the vice president of the United States on how to carry out his constitutional duties.”
- A week after the breach of the Capitol, Franklin told his local newspaper: “I want to see a bipartisan committee established to investigate not only what transpired last Wednesday, but everything leading up to it. Everyone who breached the Capitol committed a federal offense and should (be) held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Yet four months later, he voted against establishing a House committee to do just that—investigate everything related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Big Lie
- On Nov. 11, 2020, Franklin said that Florida had a “model” election system but expressed “concern” about elections in other states and defended Trump’s right to legally challenge the vote counts.
- In a letter sent on Dec. 15, 2020, Franklin and 25 other House members-elect called on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to investigate election irregularities.
- After blaming “anarchists” for the attack on the Capitol, Franklin defended his vote against certifying the Electoral College results, arguing that electors from several states “were elected illegally because they were not done in accordance with the laws enacted by their legislatures.”
- Franklin released a statement on Jan. 13, 2022 objecting to Democrats’ “attempts to undermine our Constitution and state’s rights by federalizing our election process” and “hijacking a simple NASA bill to insert 700 pages worth of radical election policies.” The provisions he objected to included removal of state voter ID laws, using public funding for election campaigns, increasing the role of the U.S. attorney general in federal elections, and “limiting” states’ ability to conduct voter roll maintenance.
- Despite hid professed concerns about election integrity and adherence to the Constitution, in September 2022 Franklin joined all but nine House Republicans in voting against the Presidential Election Reform Act meant to ensure the peaceful transition of power from one presidential administration to the next.
Top contributors for the 2024 election cycle.
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
| Organization Name | Total | PACs | Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Israel Public Affairs Cmte | $39,500.00 | $10,000.00 | $29,500.00 |
| Publix Super Markets | $17,600.00 | $10,000.00 | $7,600.00 |
| Cassidy Organization | $13,200.00 | $0.00 | $13,200.00 |
| US Sugar | $12,500.00 | $5,000.00 | $7,500.00 |
| Van Scoyoc Assoc | $10,600.00 | $0.00 | $10,600.00 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| American Revival PAC | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Applied Research Assoc | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Associated Builders & Contractors | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| General Atomics | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |