In Tampa, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell makes her case for the U.S. Senate

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell came to West Tampa on Tuesday morning, where she met for more than an hour with Hispanic entrepreneurs. It was one of five events she had scheduled over the past two days in the region as she works to boost her name recognition in the state’s biggest media market.

The former one-term U.S. representative from Miami (2019-2021) is one of four Democrats running for the Senate nomination on Aug. 20 — an election that she acknowledged on Tuesday has not been on the forefront for some of the Floridians she’s encountered while stumping this year.
“People need to be civically engaged,” she told the Phoenix at the conclusion of the roundtable discussion.

“I think it’s really important for people to start paying attention, that we have very important elections coming up. It starts with getting them to re-register by mail, getting them to make sure that they know that there’s an August primary. It’s just not for my race, but there are so many down-ballot races where people will have the choice of electing the right person that can represent them in November.”

Unlike the man she hopes to defeat this fall, GOP Sen. Rick Scott, Mucarsel-Powell is working from behind when it comes to name awareness among the electorate. A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll published in April found that 74% of Florida voters had never heard of her, including 61% of the state’s Democratic voters and 78% of the independents she needs if she has any chance of upsetting Scott come November.

“We’re working very hard every single day to make sure that I’m as present as possible all over the state, but also to have the resources so that we can communicate statewide, people can know who I am and what my agenda is. And it truly is supporting Florida families across the board, regardless of political affiliation,” she said.

Mucarsel-Powell added that her agenda includes providing economic opportunities for all, reducing the cost of living, and protecting health care for Floridians.

On Monday, the Scott campaign released a statement claiming that the Republican incumbent had already campaigned in 55 counties in Florida and intends to visit all 67 counties well before Election Day.

Earlier this month, his campaign mocked what it called Mucarsel-Powell’s reluctance to campaign outside of South Florida, issuing a statement titled, “Where’s Debbie,” with a photo of her on a flier reading: “Missing Woman Not Seen North of Miami in Weeks.”

“I am doing everything I can to get in front of as many Floridians as possible,” Mucarsel-Powell responded on Tuesday. “I know what I’m doing — we’re going to win in November.”

Favorable poll

Mucarsel-Powell’s confidence is no doubt boosted by a poll published last week by Florida Atlantic University that showed her down by only 2 percentage points behind Scott — by far the best result for her yet.

Republicans discounted it, saying it didn’t capture the true electorate.

Intermingled in the discussion about opportunities for Hispanic businesses to access capital and loans from the federal Small Business Administration came snippets of criticism of Scott, mainly from Tampa Bay area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, including that he wants to shut down outreach to minority businesses.

“There’s kind of this new attack on diversity … by the MAGA folks,” said Castor, adding that she places Scott in “that category.” She referenced Scott’s plan to “sunset” all federal legislation every five years, including Social Security and Medicare. That was part of Scott’s 12-point plan, unveiled in 2022 but which he ultimately retreated from.

“He may have backpedaled because of all the bad press he got on it, but no, that’s his starting point, and it’s not safe if he’s re-elected,” warned Castor.

Scott most recently appeared in the Tampa Bay area three weeks ago, as part of his week-long statewide tour warning Floridians about the approaching hurricane season. He held an event at a Pinellas County small business two weeks earlier, where he was formally endorsed by both the National Federation of Independent Business and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected]. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X.

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