Debbie Mucarsel-Powell doubles down on Spanish debate challenge

Rick Scott’s challenger this year is calling his bluff when it comes to his second language.

In a media release Wednesday, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign formalized its request for a “Spanish language statewide televised debate hosted in Florida to address the issues important to the Latino community in Florida and meet as many voters as possible where they are.”

Nearly 30% of Floridians are Hispanic.

“For the last 14 years, extremist Rick Scott has tried to rob women of their freedoms, seniors of their Social Security and Medicare, and working families of opportunities to get ahead,” said the Democratic nominee. 

“It’s past time that he answers to the Floridians who continue to suffer under an affordability crisis he created, all while he wrote the plan to raise taxes on the middle class and made hundreds of millions of dollars overseeing the largest Medicare fraud our country has ever seen. I hope Rick Scott has the courage to meet me on the debate stage to have this important conversation in English and in Spanish.”

Scott learned Spanish as Governor from Jeri Bustamante, a trusted aide of his who was beloved through Florida politics. He has also spent time and treasure this cycle building various Latino coalitions to support his campaign.

But he has never been called upon to debate in Spanish before.

Mucarsel-Powell is open to debates on WPBF in West Palm Beach, WFLA in Tampa, and WJXT in Jacksonville, encompassing South, Central, and North Florida.

Scott’s campaign has not yet responded to an inquiry regarding the Senator’s willingness to commit to those and/or a Spanish language debate.