Jacob Ogles
Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell deleted video she posted online from inside an early voting location. The move came after incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott alleged that the video violated state law.
“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell must be held accountable for blatantly violating Florida election law in a desperate attempt to draw attention to her failing campaign,” said Jonathan Turcotte, a spokesman for Scott’s Senate campaign.
“We also fully expect the Miami Supervisor of Elections to immediately condemn her for not only breaking the law, but also for violating so many voters’ right to privacy. No one is above the law, including Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.”
Mucarsel-Powell’s camp denied wrongdoing.
“The only person in this race who has broken the law is Rick Scott who oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the history of this country,” said Lauren Chou, a spokesperson for Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign.
Nevertheless, shortly after Scott’s campaign called out the apparent violation, the campaign pulled down the video.
Florida law regarding polling place security prohibits individuals from taking photos and video of the interior of a precinct.
“No photography is permitted in the polling room or early voting area, except an elector may photograph his or her own ballot,” reads Florida Statute 102.031.
The Scott campaign distributed screenshots of the video, which is no longer available on her social media feed. Mucarsel-Powell, a Miami Democrat, spoke to the camera in the video. On X, she also captioned the video with the message: “I’m about to cast my ballot and I am honored and emotional thinking about every Floridian who voted to get us to this point. Let’s bring this home, Florida.”
Another still photo shared on her X account also appeared to be shot inside a library where early voting was taking place, and stated, “That feeling when you cast your ballot for yourself to become Florida’s first Latina Senator!!”
Scott’s campaign made clear deleting the posts was a tell that Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign knew they erred by posting them.
“Hey @DebbieforFL, why’d you delete your video?” read a post afterward on the Scott campaign’s X account. “Good thing @X saved it for you here.”
7 comments
I Am Speaking.
October 29, 2024 at 9:04 am
Typical Democrat not following polling place rules. Well we know Debbie got one vote on her way to defeat.
Scott
October 30, 2024 at 4:19 pm
When Biden voted , they took video inside the polling location. Even hear the poll worker calling out the names of voters, as they were handed their ballots.
JC Hughes
October 30, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Biden was not voting in FL. DE law is different.
Deborah
October 30, 2024 at 4:25 pm
Murcarsel-Powell has been lying since she started her campaign. She had an ad stating she left her home country for the freedom of USA (implying she was from Cuba). She was born in the Republic of Ecuador and left with her mother at age 15.
John
October 30, 2024 at 4:59 pm
I’m a staunch conservative. I vote my values. That being said, this is political theater. OK. She screwed up. And then the hyperbole flows. Aren’t there bigger issues we can discuss?
Tera Harper
October 30, 2024 at 5:16 pm
Liar if you were conservative you would not have asked that question…
Gigi Fernandez Rojas
October 30, 2024 at 5:07 pm
This woman is pasting her image as a “latina” every chance she gets, everywhere she goes. That’s the typical leftist approach to life and politics — what’s your skin color, where did you come from. It’s revolting and insulting; people of Spanish/Latin American heritage are not that stupid to simply vote for someone because of race or background.