6 state lawmakers back Debbie Mucarsel-Powell for U.S. Senate

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is raking in the cash.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s bid to supplant Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Scott now has the backing of another six state lawmakers.

All are former Democrats, so it’s not likely that their approval will sway many swing voters or convince GOP-aligned members of the electorate to cross the political divide.

But the nods from Reps. Robin Bartleman, Tom Keen, Angie Nixon, Michele Rayner, Susan Valdés and Patricia Williams, as well as former Rep. Richard Stark, bring the number of current and past elected officials supporting Mucarsel-Powell to 35, according to her campaign website.

Dozens of organizations also want to send Mucarsel-Powell, who served one term in Congress, back to Capitol Hill.

In a statement, she said she is “deeply grateful for the unwavering support” of her new endorsers, “all of whom share my commitment to protecting Floridians’ freedoms and building a better future for our communities.”

“These incredible legislators know as well as anyone that Floridians are fed up with Rick Scott’s self-serving, dangerous agenda — from skyrocketing health care costs to the housing crisis across our state, Rick Scott’s failed leadership continues to leave Florida’s working families in the dust,” she said.

“That’s why we’re coming together like never before to expand economic opportunities for Floridians and end Rick Scott’s self-serving political career — and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have these tireless advocates by my side.”

A Miami Democrat, Mucarsel-Powell worked in the nonprofit sector and as a college administrator before becoming a political candidate in 2016. Two years later, she unseated Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo but lost her first re-election bid to former Miami-Dade Mayor and now-Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez.

After leaving office, she worked as a senior adviser to Giffords, a gun control advocacy group founded by and named for former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords that is among Mucarsel-Powell’s endorsers this cycle.

Between when she filed to challenge Scott in August and New Year’s Eve, Mucarsel-Powell raised nearly $3.8 million from more than 60,000 donors through 100,000-plus contributions — the most of any candidate other than the incumbent.

Scott, who served as Florida’s 45th Governor from 2011 to 2019, has raised about $20.3 million since he unseated Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018. Of that, $7 million came from his bank account.

Seventeen candidates are vying for Scott’s seat, including Republican entrepreneur and lawyer Keith Gross, who last year amassed about $1.4 million in a mostly self-funded campaign, and Democrat Stanley Campbell, a tech entrepreneur, once-accused domestic abuser and brother of rapper-turned-community leader Luther Campbell whose $1.02 million war chest is 90% self-filled.