(LibertySociety.com) – Senate Democrats have been looking at candidates to attempt to oust Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott in the 2024 election. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who served just one term in the House of Representatives, announced on August 22 that she will be challenging Scott.
Democrats spent a puny $2 million in Florida in the 2022 midterm elections, but Scott believes they will allocate much more during a presidential election year. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) appears to believe that Mucarsel-Powell is a viable candidate after conducting a poll to gauge how voters feel about her versus Scott.
When Scott ran for his first term in 2018, Democrats were up 270,000 registered voters in Florida, with Scott winning by merely 10,000 votes. An aide for DSCC stated that “Rick Scott is highly vulnerable” after the DSCC-sponsored poll for Mucarsel-Powell was released. However, Republicans now have 400,000 more registered voters than Democrats in the state. Scott’s campaign communications director laughed off the results, stating, “The Democrats already have two failed congressional candidates in the race. Debbie will make three.” Mucarsel-Powell was defeated in 2020 by Republican Carlos Gimenez, who is now in his second term in the House.
Democrats are planning to attack Scott for a plan he released in 2022 that would have required all federal legislation to sunset every five years, which would force Congress to pass new laws to reauthorize programs such as Medicare and Social Security. President Biden attempted to twist the proposal during his February State of the Union address, claiming that Republicans wanted to end the entitlement programs.
Republicans refused to let Biden get away with the claim, shouting over him until he acknowledged their disagreement. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly picked a battle with Scott over his proposal, with Scott accusing him of lying about his intentions. Scott is the clear favorite in the race, guaranteeing an uphill battle for Mucarsel-Powell. Senate Democrats have seven vulnerable seats that they have to protect in 2024 to keep the majority. The closeness of those races will likely determine how much time and money they spend on Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign.
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