Democrats Tap Ex-Congresswoman to Challenge Sen. Rick Scott

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks at a press conference about Democrats’ massive omnibus spending bill in Washington on Dec. 7, 2022, in a still from a livestream released by NTD. NTD

Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) will challenge Florida’s incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Scott in 2024 as Democrats seek to tighten their grip on the Senate.

Officially entering the race on Tuesday, the former congresswoman announced her campaign via social media.

“My name is Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. I’m an immigrant, a Latina, and a mother,” she wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“I’m not afraid to take on anyone who doesn’t put Florida first. That means you, Rick Scott. That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate.”

Ms. Mucarsel-Powell represented the Miami area for one term in Congress from 2019 to 2021 before losing her seat to Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez.

But while in the 2022 midterm elections, Florida shifted even farther to the right, the Ecuadorian immigrant is hoping she can prove that the state is still winnable for Democrats.

Democrats on the Hunt

The announcement of Ms. Mucarsel-Powell’s candidacy follows a push from national Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to convince her to run, according to Politico.

Despite the presence of several other Democrats in the race, the absence of an established, well-known candidate reportedly had party leaders on the hunt for a viable challenger to Mr. Scott.

Per Politico, Mr. Schumer reached out to Ms. Mucarsel-Powell personally to urge her to enter the race to help Democrats strengthen their hold on the Senate, where they currently have a razor-thin majority.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) reads a document as she passes through the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Democrat-aligned groups have also signaled their support for her candidacy in recent weeks, including UnidosUS Action Fund, a Latino advocacy group.

“UnidosUS Action Fund enthusiastically welcomes Congresswoman Debbie Murcarsel-Powell’s consideration to run for the U.S. Senate in Florida against incumbent Rick Scott,” the group wrote Aug. 3 in an open letter to Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Democratic Senatorial Committee.

“As a proven advocate for the Latino community and a fierce defender of the values we hold dear, Congresswoman Murcarsel-Powell’s leadership is exactly what Florida needs at this time,” the letter adds.

Among the other declared candidates is Democratic Navy veteran Phil Ehr, a former congressional candidate who lost his bid to unseat Rep. Matt Gaetz. Others reportedly exploring a run include former Rep. Alan Grayson and Florida State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell.

Breaking GOP Stronghold

For many years, Florida held the reputation of being a swing state—a toss-up within the grasp of candidates on the left and right. After all, the state helped propel President Barack Obama to victory not just once but twice.

In recent years, however, the once-purple battleground state has turned bright red, with voters turning out in droves to support GOP candidates like President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Last year, when other states failed to deliver for Republicans on their highly anticipated “red wave,” the state of Florida experienced what could only be described as a red tsunami.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis campaigns for re-election during a "Unite and Win" rally on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections, at Hialeah Park Clubhouse, in Hialeah, Fla., on Nov. 7, 2022. Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP

Not only did Mr. DeSantis win his reelection bid by more than 19 points—an unprecedented margin in the state—but Republicans also flipped typical Democrat strongholds like Miami-Dade County and denied Democrats a statewide officeholder for the first time since Reconstruction.

Further, Mr. Scott was first elected to the Senate in 2018, when Democrats held a nearly 270,000-registrant edge in Florida. That edge has since flipped the other way, gifting Republicans a more than 400,000-voter advantage in the state.

Nevertheless, in her first campaign ad, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell bills herself as the right candidate to give Democrats a critical win in both Florida and the Senate.

“I’ve already fought guys like Rick Scott and beat them,” she asserts in the ad, noting that she was the first-ever South American immigrant elected to Congress.

While touting her support for abortion and gun control, the Democrat charges that Mr. Scott would cut Medicare and Social Security through his “Rescue America” plan—a 12-point plan that would “sunset” all federal legislation every five years.

In February, amid bipartisan criticism, he revised the plan to specify exemptions for Medicare, Social Security, national security, veterans’ benefits, and other services.

“I wrote the bill to expand Medicare, not take it away,” Ms. Mucarsel-Powell says. “Because I know my mom and so many others depend on it.”

But Priscilla Ivasco, communications director for the Scott campaign, was confident Tuesday that Florida voters would rebuff the Democrat’s senatorial bid.

“Former Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell is a radical socialist who voted 100 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi during her short tenure in Congress, which is why the voters of South Florida booted her out of office the first chance they got,” Ms. Ivasco said. “Floridians already rejected her once and they will reject her again.”