Jacob Ogles
Florida Republicans criticized U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell for fundraising from New York as her state braces for a hurricane.
The Miami Democrat, her party’s nominee to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott this year, held a Manhattan fundraiser on Tuesday with donors in the Empire State. The event took place as Floridians all along Florida’s Gulf Coast turned their eyes to a tropical system that had formed over the weekend.
“While Senator Rick Scott was focused on Hurricane Helene headed to our state and the safety of Floridians, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell spent Tuesday night fundraising and hobnobbing in New York City,” reads a Republican Party of Florida statement issued Wednesday. “It’s clear where Debbie’s priorities lie — and it’s not with us.”
Christopher Bouzy, a progressive social media influencer, on Tuesday posted on X that he was attending a fundraiser for Mucarsel-Powell in New York.
The same day, Mucarsel-Powell posted several updates about the weather threat to Florida, along with some political attacks on Scott. She did not mention the fundraiser in New York.
Her campaign also sent out fundraising appeals by text message on Wednesday to Florida voters, many of whom were preparing for Hurricane Helene.
Forecasts show Hurricane Helene will make landfall today in the Florida Panhandle or Big Bend area.
A text message obtained by Florida Politics showed that around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday, the campaign sent a picture of Mucarsel-Powell’s dog Kali and a first-person appeal from the animal asking for donations to the Senate campaign.
The text message, presumably typed by a human in Kali’s stead, asks for donors to give “$5 or whatever you can spare to help my mom, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, defeat Rick Scott in Florida and protect Democrats’ Senate majority!” The message honored “National Dogs in Pawlitics Day,” which was actually on Monday.
Democratic sources noted Scott on Tuesday also attended a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., one for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. Scott’s staff said that was before Scott left Washington to come to areas in Florida under storm threat.
Scott, who notably holds his public office now, has attended hurricane briefings through the week, including Monday and Tuesday briefings over the phone with the director of the National Hurricane Center. He has posted photos on his campaign feed showing him meeting in Florida locations with constituents threatened by the storm. That included parts of the Big Bend and Panhandle on Wednesday and Levy County on Thursday morning.
“The people of Florida deserve a Senator that shows up for them, not special interests and liberal elites,” the RPOF statement states. “News for you Debbie, Florida isn’t for sale.
“Our prayers are with the thousands of Floridians currently evacuating and all those in the path of this dangerous and historic storm.”
12 comments
Jojo
September 26, 2024 at 8:48 am
That’s rich… why don’t you ask your governor to stay out of the politics of northern states?
Bobblehead Kammy
September 26, 2024 at 10:52 am
It’s very rich. Why is she up in New York fundraising with a powerful hurricane approaching Florida. Now if a Repub were doing this, you zombies would lose your mind.
cassandra was right
September 26, 2024 at 11:20 am
A Republican already IS! Rick Scott was at a Washington DC fundraiser for a TEXAS senator the very same day! You didn’t even miss him! No one else will either!!!
DEMOCRACY! FREEDOM!
VOTE for Mucarsel-Powell!
Billy Rotberg
September 26, 2024 at 12:02 pm
She is funded by warlords in the Ukraine. Not happening.
Ima Person
September 27, 2024 at 10:05 am
You are a moron! No college degree, huh? Don’t answer. It’s obvious! All of you conspiracy theory nut jobs need to go back to school and learn how to critically think assuming the governor does not take that away from us as well. (Oh yeah, he already did) 🙄
Jojo
October 1, 2024 at 7:38 am
Wouldn’t it be nice if actual reporters did some fact checking? Thanks for informing floridapolitics readers
Cat 5 Helene
September 29, 2024 at 11:26 am
Another storm will be on the 6 of October named Leslie, Florida may even have a storm on election day probably,why if you are a Democrat vote early and often
Tom
September 26, 2024 at 9:18 am
So the hurricane is here today and she was in NYC on Tuesday? That’s all they have? I guess if ricky boy had some achievements to champion, he’d be doing that but it seems not to be the case.
Billy Nash
September 26, 2024 at 9:53 am
She has a chance to unseat the Medicare thieving, 75 times pleading the 5th despicable Scott. I think Florida voters are getting sick of Scott. She will be back in FL way before the hurricane. Also, maybe Mother Nature is trying to tell the climate change denying governor something about his ignorance since it appears Helene may be sharing some of her wrath in Tallahassee.
Biscuit
September 26, 2024 at 10:17 am
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is not currently an elected official of the State of Florida, she is a former U.S. House congresswoman, so there is nothing she can do officially, nothing in her powers, to help or direct the State of Florida at this time.
Rick Scott, on the other hand, is one of Florida’s two Senators, and being a man of action he is currently waiting for his little Navy cap to come back from the dry cleaners, at which time he will carefully place it on his nice round head and take questions from reporters and answer them with oddly wide-eyed wonderment as he spews one cliche after another, helping no one at all.
Arf.
Ima Person
September 27, 2024 at 10:10 am
These idiots cannot be reasoned with. Maggots are too stupid. Debbie, Kamala, Tim IN. Ronny and Ricky OUT. Just watch.
Victoria A Olson
September 29, 2024 at 10:07 pm
The Florida GOP are a bunch of hypocrites as they are constantly getting donations from out of state & even Russia. Why is it when they do it it’s OK but not when they do it but for Democrats do it’s suddenly not legal or questionable? One can only take so much egregious untruths & lies for so long & the people of Florida are over it. Debbie would be a welcome change she is someone who cares about people while Rick Scott wants to end Social Security & Medicare in a retirement state! He is a cruel Billionaire who care less about the middle class and spends his time traveling to foreign mostly Dictator countries instead of doing his damn job as our Senator? Enough is Enough of this despicable human garbage who has done NOTHING for Florida except we pay for his travel.
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