Fentrice Driskell to seek re-election in Florida House, forgo U.S. Senate bid

Fentrice Driskell prepares for an abortion rights battle.

Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell plans to stay put next year.

The Tampa Democrat had considered challenging U.S. Sen. Rick Scott for his Senate seat in 2023 but decided she isn’t ready to leave the Legislature.

“After giving it a lot of thought, I have realized that my work in the Florida House is not done yet,” Driskell said.

Florida Democrats, meanwhile, still await the entry of a high-profile challenger for Scott, who won his Senate seat in 2018 by a scant 10,033 votes.

Former congressional candidate Phil Ehr has launched a campaign, and former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson has opened a campaign account. But Driskell’s exit could clear the way for former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Miami Democrat, to enter the race as the only woman in the running.

Driskell said she still thinks the former Florida Governor’s time in Washington should draw to a close soon.

“While in Tallahassee, Rick Scott spearheaded disastrous policies that have made Florida less affordable, less safe, and less free,” Driskell said. “He does not deserve to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate. But through my conversations across the state, it became clear to me that my fight for Florida is right here at home.”

Driskell took over as House Democratic Leader this year, a rare elevation of a lawmaker starting her third term in the chamber. House Democrats put Driskell in line to lead the caucus last May after state Rep. Ramon Alexander, a Tallahassee Democrat, ended his own re-election campaign amid a sex scandal.

Driskell had already been in line to lead Democrats in the House after the 2024 elections for her fourth and final term. She said she still feels the need to go that route, and said the hard right trajectory on which Gov. Ron DeSantis set the state shows the need for strong leadership by Democrats.

As the Governor’s presidential campaign flounders, she said it’s all the more important to stay and fight his policies in Florida.

“The policies that are failing working families, eroding education, taking away women’s freedoms, and doing nothing as Florida becomes too expensive for Floridians are ones that need to be fought in Tallahassee,” Driskell said.

“And when DeSantis loses the GOP Primary and returns his attention to focus where he can do more damage, we need to be ready. As minority leader in the Florida House, I will continue this fight in the legislature and look forward to partnering with campaigns on the ground to build the critical infrastructure we need statewide to win, and to send Rick Scott home.”