Miami, Aug 19 (EFE).- Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who was the first South American to reach the U.S. Congress, is the favorite in the primaries this Tuesday in Florida to fight in November for the seat of Republican Rick Scott, who is seeking reelection.
The 53-year-old former congresswoman, born in Ecuador and naturalized in the United States, told EFE when she ran for the Senate that Floridians are fed up with extremism and want change.
He noted that Florida is neither Democratic nor Republican and remains a “swing” state despite the conservatives’ electoral victory in 2022.
Florida voters will hold a primary tomorrow whose main attraction will be the race for this seat in the federal Senate, and which everything indicates will be between Scott and Mucarsel-Powell.
Scott, who was governor of this southern state between 2011 and 2019 and is an opponent of abortion, faces an internal election in which no major surprises are expected to consolidate his candidacy.
He will face two main opponents: former actor John Columbus and, in particular, businessman and lawyer Keith Gross, the latter with greater financial muscle and critical of Scott on issues such as public safety and fiscal policy.
However, the incumbent senator is the front-runner and the one who has raised the most money. In fact, he has raised more money than all of his opponents combined.
The situation is similar on the Democratic side, where the Ecuadorian is expected to prevail and win the nomination to challenge Scott in the general elections on November 5, who is seeking a second term in the Upper House.
Mucarsel-Powell, who has the backing of the national Democratic establishment, will face former state Rep. Brian Rush, U.S. Army veteran Rod Joseph and tech entrepreneur Stanley Campbell, the latter with the backing of the FL-CIO labor union.
The former congresswoman has raised more than $14 million, which is, like Scott, more than any of her opponents, and that has allowed her to receive greater publicity in recent months.
The favoritism of both within their parties is reflected even in the polls of voting intention, which have basically measured a possible head-to-head between Scott and Mucarsel-Powell, all of them with a projected victory for the Republican.
A poll this month by Florida Atlantic University showed Scott with a four-point lead, but the Democrat is confident she can beat him in November.
Florida voters are invited to decide in 30 House primaries in Washington, while Democrats have fielded candidates for all 120 state House seats and 40 Senate seats.
By the deadline to vote in the primaries, registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats by one million registered voters (5.3 million to 4.3 million), while 3.5 million voters chose not to register with any party.
Only voters registered with each party will be able to participate in tomorrow’s elections, and polling stations will close at 8:00 p.m. local time (24:00 GMT), although in many parts of the state they will close an hour earlier. EFE
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