Push for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to take on Rick Scott is growing

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There’s a growing chorus of Democratic-aligned groups calling for former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Rick Scott, including organizations eager to see a second Hispanic woman in the Senate.

POLITICO previously reported that Senate Democratic leaders have urged Mucarsel-Powell, a Miami Democrat who served one term in Congress before losing a reelection bid in 2020, to take on Scott in a race that could prove pivotal in Democratic efforts to keep control of the Senate.

Mucarsel-Powell is still weighing whether to challenge Scott, the former two-term governor and multimillionaire who could pour unlimited amounts of his own money into the contest. Scott, however, has never run during a presidential election year and has been placed on the defense by both the White House and even fellow Republicans over his stance on Medicare and Social Security.

This week, Latino Democrats, including those connected to groups such as BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have become vocal with their support for Mucarsel-Powell. They see her as a compelling candidate in a state in which roughly a quarter of the population is Hispanic.

“Debbie would be such a fantastic recruit,” Victoria McGroary, executive director for BOLD PAC told POLITICO. “Rick Scott is one of the must vulnerable Republicans in the Senate. It is really time for Florida to have someone as strong as Debbie, a Latina, at the top of the ballot.”

This outpouring of support could be a prelude to Mucarsel-Powell committing to the race. She did not respond this week to a request for a comment on whether she has made a final decision. But others said they really want her to run.

In a statement, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), the chair of BOLD PAC, added that “Debbie is urgently needed in the U.S. Senate. An immigrant who came to America with her mother at 14 seeking the American dream, her story is the story of so many Floridians.”

Janet Murguía, president of UnidosUS Action Fund, which is a group linked to one of the nation’s largest Latino civil rights groups, on Thursday sent a letter to Sen. Gary Peters, 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,” Murguía wrote.

Scott first burst into Florida’s political scene as an outsider during the 2010 tea party wave and has eked out three razor-thin margin wins including his 2018 race against Sen. Bill Nelson. Scott won that midterm contest by slightly more than 10,000 votes.

Scott has already been campaigning vigorously ahead of 2024, setting a goal of visiting all 67 counties. He has repaired a frayed relationship he once had with top Florida GOP officials and has been routinely showing up for county party fundraisers.

“If Florida Democrats think a radically liberal former one-term congresswoman is the solution to their problems, they’re even worse at this than we thought. Good luck to them,” said Scott's communications director, Priscilla Ivasco.

There are already Democrats in the race against Scott, most notably Navy veteran Phil Ehr. Ehr mounted an unsuccessful challenge in 2020 to knock off Rep. Matt Gaetz in a ruby-red Panhandle district. His campaign says he has already raised over $500,000.

The argument for Mucarsel-Powell, who is currently a senior adviser for the gun control group Giffords, is that she was elected previously in a swing district in Miami-Dade County, a crucial battleground for Democrats, and knows how to raise money in a congressional race. She was born in Ecuador and immigrated to the U.S. when she was a teenager.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has personally talked to Mucarsel-Powell about running and the DSCC was scheduled to do polling in July on the race.

Other names who have been floated as possible candidates include Tampa-based State House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins.

Florida Democrats have never nominated a Hispanic woman as a statewide candidate. Both Sen. Marco Rubio, who was first elected in 2010, and former Sen. Mel Martinez, are Cuban-American. The only Hispanic woman in the U.S. Senate is Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada.

The push to nudge Mucarsel-Powell comes after Republicans dominated the 2022 midterms in Florida up and down the ballot, including Rubio winning his reelection contest over former Rep. Val Demings by more than 16 percentage points. Republicans also now have a decisive voter registration edge in the nation’s third-largest state.

María Teresa Kumar, president of Voto Latino, contended, however, that “the political winds have shifted dramatically in Florida, and the Senate seat is absolutely in play with the right Democrat in the race.” She added that Mucarsel-Powell is “a battle-tested powerhouse who knows what it takes to win” and that “she would be an incredibly compelling candidate if she decides to run, and there's no question she would enjoy strong support."