Mucarsel-Powell to take on Rick Scott in Florida Senate race

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) has won the Democratic primary to face off against Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) for his Senate seat, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Mucarsel-Powell easily prevailed over relatively nominal opposition for the nomination, including from former state Rep. Brian Rush (D). She had the support of President Biden, top House Democratic leaders such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Florida Democrats such as Reps. Maxwell Frost and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

She will face Scott, who was elected to the Senate in 2018 by about 0.1 percentage points. But Florida has shifted significantly rightward since then, reelecting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) by nearly 20 points in 2022.

Still, Democrats have considered Scott’s seat one of the relatively few pickup opportunities the party has in a year where more Democrats in competitive seats are up for reelection than Republicans. The party has sought to attack Scott most prominently over his 12-point “Rescue America” plan that called for sunsetting all federal programs in five years, requiring reauthorization from Congress to continue.

Scott amended the plan last year to exempt Social Security and Medicare, along with the U.S. Navy, from the plan following attacks from Democrats.

Mucarsel-Powell, who represented Florida’s 26th Congressional District from 2019 to 2021, seems to be the underdog in the race, but some polls have signaled it could be closer than expected. Two polls in recent weeks found Scott leading Mucarsel-Powell by 4 points.