TALLAHASSEE, FL—Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, inspired by the recently announced Presidential debates, is doubling down on her call for incumbent Republican Senator Rick Scott to debate her—in Spanish.
A one-term Latina Congresswoman, Mucarsel-Powell has lasered in on Hispanic voters throughout her campaign. Earlier this month, she unveiled a Spanish-language web ad accusing Scott of destroying freedom.
Now she wants to prove it in front of a live audience.
"Let's start with the critical U.S. Senate race here in Florida. I'm ready to debate Rick Scott in Spanish right now — all of our communities here in FL deserve to hear from us so we can set the record straight," Mucarsel-Powell wrote on X.
This isn't the first time she's called for a Spanish-language debate: in February, she penned a Sun Sentinal op-ed, writing, "I’m ready to have these conversations in English and in Spanish to meet every voter where they are, and if Rick Scott is ready to get serious about the issues that matter with Floridians, I invite him to debate with me.”
Now, as the Democratic Primary draws closer to its August 20th date, and the General on November 5th, Mucarsel-Powell is doubling down. First, however, she must beat out five other Democratic candidates for the nomination, including former Congressman Alan Grayson and rocket scientist Stanley Campbell—brother of 2-Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell.
"Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the first Democratic Latina to run for Senate in Florida, knows better than anyone just how important it is that we reach the Latino community early and with accurate information this year – that’s why she’s been meeting Latino voters right where they are since day 1 of her campaign," her spokeswoman, Lauren Chou, wrote in an e-mailed statement to The Floridian.
"Debbie believes every single community in Florida deserves to know exactly what their options are: a self-serving politician who has done nothing to deliver for Floridians, or a hardworking Latina who will protect affordable health care, lower costs for hardworking families, and fight for every single Floridian in the halls of the U.S. Senate," she continued, swiping at Scott and the rising Floridian affordability crisis.
The Scott team did not respond to a request for comment. In reply to that, Chou told The Floridian, "It's disappointing to see Rick Scott is refusing to answer to the Latino voters who have been hurt by his self-serving, extreme policies."
The majority of Hispanic voters are registered as No Party Affiliation (NPA), with Democrats holding a slight edge over Republicans in that demographic. However, Hispanic voters historically have the worst turnout among races, and Republicans lead Democrats in overall voter registrations by an almost one million margin.
These stacked odds have led Mucarsel-Powell to appear on multiple Spanish-language TV and radio stations and host several events at popular Hispanic locales to maximize turnout.
