Former Congresswoman Launches Bid To Oust GOP Sen. Rick Scott In Florida

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) is launching a campaign to oust Republican Sen. Rick Scott, she announced Tuesday morning, becoming the highest-profile Democrat to announce a Senate bid in Republican-trending Florida.

Her entry into the race marks an attempt by Democrats to make Florida a major Senate battleground in 2024, a year when keeping their 51-seat majority in Congress’ upper chamber intact depends on defending a number of seats in deep-red political territory, and their offensive opportunities are limited to Florida and Texas, another large and expensive state where Democrats have struggled.

A poll commissioned by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and released last week showed Scott’s approval rating was underwater in Florida and argued that Mucarsel-Powell has a path to victory. Florida Democrats, however, are on a lengthy statewide losing streak as Latino voters in South Florida ― Mucarsel-Powell’s home turf ― desert the party for the GOP.