Joe Biden backs Debbie Mucarsel-Powell during Tampa visit

President Joe Biden threw his support to former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign for Senate.

During a stop in Tampa, he called out the Miami Democrat by name in the crowd, and said she must defeat incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.

“I want to thank Debbie, our next U.S. Senator. Debbie, stand up,” Biden said. “This is a critical race. Rick Scott wants to sunset social security. I think the voters are going to sunset Rick Scott.”

The remarks came as Biden campaigned in Tampa for re-election himself. The Florida visit signaled a belief Florida that will be a battleground, especially with a Florida law going into effect next week banning most abortions six weeks into pregnancy.

But the vocal support for Mucarsel-Powell also could prove critical as the former Congresswoman faces a Democratic Primary. Businessman Stanley Campbell, who has largely self-funded a campaign, qualified for the Democratic Primary already.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has declined often to reference any candidate by name until the nomination gets settled in August. But the support from the sitting President from a stage in Florida further signals Mucarsel-Powell as the inevitable nominee.

As of the close of March, Mucarsel-Powell has $2.75 million cash on hand. Meanwhile, Campbell closed the quarter with $772,000 in the bank.

Biden said he would do everything in his power to elect Mucarsel-Powell, whether that meant stumping for her or not.

“As one senior Senator years ago — when I was a freshman running for re-election in the United States Senate — said to me, ‘I’ll campaign for you or against you, whatever will help the most,’” Biden said. “It’s really important you win.”

Of note, Scott had released a statement trashing Biden ahead of his visit to Florida, and paid for anti-Biden ads to run on trucks in the streets of Tampa during the visit. That includes messaging to “Reject Socialists” and to “Remember Laken Riley,” an Augusta University student killed allegedly by an illegal immigrant in February.

Scott’s campaign welcomed a chance to tie Biden and Mucarsel-Powell.

“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Joe Biden are selling a socialist agenda that Florida voters won’t buy,” said Scott spokesperson Will Hampson. “Florida voters are done with record inflation caused by Joe Biden and Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell’s out-of-control spending.

“Floridians don’t want an open border and enough fentanyl to kill the entire state ten times over. They don’t want a senator or president too weak to condemn illegitimate regimes in Cuba and throughout Latin America, and certainly don’t want calls for genocide of our Jewish neighbors to go unpunished as they currently are throughout our nation. The Biden/Mucarsel-Powell agenda is heinously radical and is going to be overwhelmingly rejected by Floridians in November.”

Biden also name-dropped U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat seeking re-election. Castor picked up Biden. Both Castor and Mucarsel-Powell spoke at the Biden event.

“I just got off the stage in Tampa and let me tell you, Floridians are FIRED UP to fight for our freedoms,” Mucarsel-Powell shared on social media. “We can vote out one of the most vulnerable GOP senators this November and take back our freedoms from extremists like him. Are you with me?”