Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Rick Scott win Primaries, turn focus to November

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell are confirmed for a November battle, as both are on their way to resounding wins in Primaries Tuesday.

The competition was outmatched, with both nominees saving big money for the General Election.

Scott, who closed July with more than $3.8 million cash on hand, is on his way to defeating long-shots John Columbus, who had $814 on hand at the same point, and Keith Gross, who had a little more than $13,000.

Scott got roughly 85% of the vote with most results in. He actually is performing worse thus far than he did in 2018, when he got 88.6% of the vote against Rocky de la Fuente.

Scott issued a statement after his victory was assured.

“Thank you to the great voters of Florida in every corner of our state who turned out to resoundingly deliver us a win and showed the country that Florida is RED! We have received more votes than every Democrat candidate combined and are ready to deliver a big win in November,” the Senator said.

“The most radical socialist ticket of my lifetime, consisting of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, seeks to fundamentally destroy the promise of freedom in America for generations to come. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has supported an open border, allowing criminals and drugs to flood our communities. She wants to give them amnesty and citizenship and let them vote in our elections. She has fought for burdensome regulations that have caused businesses across the country to shut their doors for good and supports socialist price controls that even the Washington Post has called extreme. She continues to enable and side with dictatorships like China, Iran, and Venezuela, and wants our daughters and granddaughters to be forced to change in locker rooms with men. She has voted with self-proclaimed socialists like AOC and Ilhan Omar 93% of the time. Her record is clear, she is a socialist through and through.”

Mucarsel-Powell had more than $4.3 million on hand at last month’s end, well ahead of Stanley Campbell’s less than $125,000 and the under $11,000 Rod Joseph had at the same time.

The Democratic nominee is clearing 69% at this writing, with Campbell, Joseph and former state Rep. Brian Rush divvying up the rest.

Mucarsel-Powell issued a statement as results from the Panhandle rolled in.

“Florida, thank you so much for this honor. For the last year, we have fought day in and day out to make the case for our campaign. This victory isn’t just mine – it belongs to so many who have stepped up to say that we deserve better here in Florida,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “From day one, this campaign has been about so much more than me. It’s about protecting our freedoms to make decisions about our own body, earn a good living off of one job, and retire with dignity. It’s about safeguarding our education, bringing good-paying jobs to Florida, and making sure our communities are safe from gun violence. This campaign is about who we really are here in Florida, and our fight is just getting started.”

“My mother brought me to this country for the freedom and opportunities that our democracy provides. But extremist politicians like Rick Scott are robbing us of these very freedoms and opportunities. Rick Scott tried to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them, supports a national ban on abortion, and wants to raise taxes on the middle class. Let me be clear — I am running to represent every single Floridian in this state. This goes beyond Republicans vs. Democrats – we’re all done with extremists who don’t have our backs, we all deserve better than Rick Scott, and in November, we will win.”

EMILY’s List also weighed in.

“EMILYs List is thrilled to congratulate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell on this primary victory for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat. Mucarsel-Powell is ready to stand up against anti-choice extremist Sen. Rick Scott, who constantly lies to voters about his extreme abortion views, including his willingness to put IVF at risk. We need a Democratic pro-choice champion like Mucarsel-Powell in the Senate to protect our fundamental freedoms and EMILYs List is proud to stand with her through this election and elect Florida’s first Latina to the Senate.”

National Dems also have this race on their radar.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Gary Peters said “Mucarsel-Powell’s story is Florida’s story, and she has spent her life fighting to expand opportunity for every family in her state. Debbie has fought for the values all Floridians care about, and in the Senate, she will protect Medicare and Social Security, stand strong against threats to reproductive freedom, and tackle rising costs head on. That’s why this November, Florida voters will elect her to the Senate.”

The General Election campaign likely will take place along already familiar battle lines, with the Democrat attempting to take advantage of a backlash against reproductive rights restrictions in Florida since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision of 2022.

Among the issues that have cropped up: in vitro fertilization, which Scott says he backs and which Mucarsel-Powell contends he doesn’t.

At the end of July, the Naples Republican filed the Increasing Value for Families with HSAs Act. That bill, per Scott, is designed to “help individuals and families better plan and pay for medical expenses, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), by decoupling health savings accounts from high-deductible health plans, and doubling the current contribution limits on HSAs from $4,300 to $8,600 for individuals and $8,550 to $17,100 for families.”

The Democratic opposition frames it somewhat differently, saying Scott is spending “millions of dollars to lie to Florida voters about his anti-IVF record and cover up his recent vote against bipartisan legislation to protect access to IVF treatment.”

The high cost of living has been another point of contention between the two.

“Floridians are tired of extremism, they are tired of the division, the chaos, and they are facing an affordability crisis. We have the highest level of inflation here in the state of Florida than in any other place in the country because of Rick Scott’s failed policies that started when he was Governor,” claimed Debbie Mucarsel-Powell during a recent appearance on The Sasha View.

Scott, meanwhile, blames the Democrat and the current President for money not going as far as it should, with a spokesman saying “nearly 80 percent of Americans are saying fast food has become a luxury. The Democrats are out-of-touch, and it’s hurting average Americans. Floridians understand the best way to get the economy back working is to fire Joe Biden and Mucarsel-Powell for good in November.”

Polling of a potential race between Mucarsel-Powell and Scott has been all over the place.

The latest survey from Florida Atlantic University’s PolCom Lab shows Scott with a marginal 47% to 43% lead over his Democratic opponent.

Polling from Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) shows Scott ahead of Mucarsel-Powell by 10 points (52-42%) with 7% of voters undecided.

Other Florida Atlantic University polls showed a 16-point race and a two-point difference, and a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll that showed a 15-point gap earlier this Summer.

Questions remain, meanwhile, about Scott’s popularity after a USA Today survey released last Monday. The R+8 poll showed him at just 35% approval, and suggested the Senator has issues across various demographics.

While Scott is treading water with men (45% approval against 44% disapproval), women voters surveyed here seem to be in revolt, with just 28% approving of Scott and 52% disapproving.

Meanwhile, Scott is also underwater with all groups of voters under the age of 65, while treading water with senior citizens with 40% approval and 40% disapproval.

With those under 35, he is at 35% approval and 57% disapproval. He is at -19 with voters between 35 and 49 years of age, and at the same level with those between 50 and 64.

Yet his performance with Republicans could be most concerning. The Naples Republican has just 59% approval in his own party, against 24% disapproval. Meanwhile, an additional 10% claim to have never heard of the man who has held statewide office continuously since the beginning of 2011.