Rick Scott, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell face off in Florida Senate race in 2024 election
MIAMI - The Florida Senate race, pitting incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Scott against Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, has drawn national attention. The outcome of the 2024 election could have far-reaching implications for control of the upper chamber.
Both Senate candidates offer starkly different visions, with Scott, 71, campaigning on conservative economic policies and Mucarsel-Powell, 53, advocating for healthcare reform and environmental protections.
The Florida race for the U.S. Senate seat is one of 34 Senate races in the 2024 election.
The Republican candidate
Scott, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, has framed his campaign as a defense against "socialist" policies he attributes to Democrats like Mucarsel-Powell.
During the campaign, Scott accused Mucarsel-Powell of supporting open borders and policies that hurt small businesses, reinforcing his appeal to conservative voters by positioning himself as a protector of individual freedoms and a critic of federal overreach.
One of Scott's signature proposals, his "Rescue America" plan, a 12-point platform aimed at curbing "woke" progressive policies, became the subject of controversy when Democrats accused Scott of intending to cut Medicare and Social Security, prompting revisions in early 2023.
Before Scott was first elected to the Senate, he served two terms as Florida's governor and was a healthcare executive. His platform has focused on low taxes, reduced federal spending and stricter border security.
The Democratic candidate
Mucarsel-Powell has presented a progressive platform. A former U.S. representative who immigrated from Ecuador to the U.S. as a 14 year old, she made immigration reform and healthcare access main issues in her campaign.
Scott has labeled Mucarsel-Powell a "radical socialist," while she has called him an "extremist" with a track record of undermining women's rights, seniors' benefits and opportunities for working families.
In her attacks on Scott, Mucarsel-Powell has highlighted his past as a healthcare executive, particularly his company's involvement in a Medicare fraud scandal. She has also criticized Scott's environmental policies during his time as governor, linking them to water quality issues and insufficient climate action.
Her platform has focused on reducing the cost of living, protecting Social Security and Medicare and addressing climate change and water quality. She has also been a defender of women's reproductive rights, criticizing Scott's record on those issues.