Ryan Nicol
A new ad from Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is defending her party’s record on health care ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is facing Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez, a Republican, in the race for Florida’s 26th Congressional District.
The 30-second spot features a narrator contrasting Mucarsel-Powell’s policy proposals with the Mayor’s push to double county employees’ contributions to health insurance. The ad also dings Republicans for backing a lawsuit that could invalidate the Affordable Care Act and, along with it, provisions ensuring people with preexisting conditions can qualify for insurance.
“In the fight for affordable health care, you have a choice,” the narrator begins, “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Democrats fought to lower prescription medication prices, expand coverage and protections for people with preexisting conditions, and end drug company monopolies — or ‘Corrupt Carlos’ Giménez, who doubled the cost of health insurance for his county employees and the Republicans who are trying to take away our health care protections while we are losing our coverage during coronavirus. The choice is clear.”
Nikki Rapanos, a Giménez campaign spokesperson, fired back at Mucarsel-Powell by citing her previous support for moving to a Medicare-for-all system.
“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is the only candidate that wants to take away Floridians’ health care,” Rapanos said. “She admitted to the press that we need to find ways “to get” to Medicare-for-All which would cost $32 trillion and eliminate private health insurance. Don’t take our word for it — even Joe Biden thinks Medicare-for-All is too radical.”
Mucarsel-Powell made health care a focal point of her 2018 campaign, which saw her unseat GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has pushed to highlight the issue once again this cycle.
“Since the days when I worked at FIU’s Medical School, I have been fighting for affordable, high-quality health care for every single person in this community,” Mucarsel-Powell added in a statement released alongside the ad.
“COVID-19 makes it more important than ever that we lower health care and prescription drug costs. But Carlos Giménez and Donald Trump want to repeal the Affordable Care Act and end protections for people with pre-existing conditions — even during this pandemic.”
Mucarsel-Powell’s new ad is backed by a seven-figure buy and will run in both English and Spanish. The ad comes at the same time the DCCC announced a new Spanish-language radio ad would run targeting Giménez.
CD 26 covers parts of Miami-Dade County as well as Monroe County.
