Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, leading Democrat for U.S. Senate, says she can beat Rick Scott

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, says recent Florida Supreme Court rulings on abortion have generated wind behind her campaign to unseat Rick Scott.

The rulings allowed a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights on the ballot while at the same time determining that a 2023 law banning abortions six weeks after conception is constitutional.

A University of North Florida poll of 716 registered Florida voters in November indicated that 62% of respondents said they would support a constitutional change guaranteeing access to abortion.

So, although Mucarsel-Powell is not the Democratic Party's nominee − there are six others in the Aug. 20 primary − she is looking ahead to the November election. It would appear the race for U.S. Senate in Florida is, as they say, on.

Rick Scott's 2023 tweet

Mucarsel-Powell and Florida Democrats spent much of last week highlighting a 2023 tweet in which Scott says if he were still governor, he would have signed the six-week abortion ban, which does not allow exceptions for rape or incest.

Meanwhile, Scott, appearing with radio host Manny Munoz on WIOD-AM in Miami on Friday, said he is "pro-baby," supports exceptions for rape and incest, called for "reasonable limitations" on abortion and, of Democrats, "they all support crushing a baby's skull at 9 months pregnant." The Scott campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

A former congresswoman from Miami, Mucarsel-Powell said in a 20-minute interview with The News-Journal Thursday, that the six-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest is a threat to women's healthcare.

"I’m really concerned about the safety of women here in the state of Florida," she said. "It’s about reproductive health care, and we should be protected equally under the law as women to make our own fundamental decisions about our body."

She is campaigning in a state where Republicans have expanded their voter registration advantage to more than 855,000 active voters and where Democrats have not won a Senate race since 2012, so turnout driven by abortion-access supporters could be key.

Calls access to abortion a 'fundamental civil right'

Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador, and moved to Pomona, California, east of Los Angeles, with her mother and sisters when she was 14. Her immigrant experience has colored her views on world affairs as well as freedom and democracy.

"This is about government interference and making sure we have the freedom here in the state of Florida and in the United States, the freedom without any government interference in making this deeply personal decision for a woman," she said. "And, for us, as a woman and for many of us as women in Latin America, we have seen that."

"When you take away that woman’s right to make those choices for herself, you put her in danger. There’s a higher risk of violence against women," she said. "We have seen higher levels of maternal mortality rates, so that’s what this is about."

In response to a Republican attack on the proposal in Amendment 4, that it will make Florida's abortion laws more liberal than many European countries and eliminate all restrictions on late-term abortions, Mucarsel-Powell responded:

"They are using disinformation to try and create fear into people living in the state of Florida on a law that is ... a fundamental civil right for a woman, to be able to make that choice between herself, her doctor, her family and her faith."

Mucarsel-Powell's path through politics

Mucarsel-Powell, a 53-year-old mother, said she was raised Catholic, attending the all-girls Pomona Catholic High School. Her campaign bio says she worked in a doughnut shop to supplement the income generated by her mother, a home healthcare worker. From there, she earned a bachelor's degree from Pitzer College in California and a master's of international political economy from Claremont Graduate University.

While she was in graduate school at age 24, she learned her father had been shot to death in Ecuador. Mucarsel-Powell says she has been an "advocate for reducing crime and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals."

She moved to Miami with the aim of working with a nonprofit or nongovernmental organization.

"I was trying to work at an NGO to create policies, economic policies, that would give people in countries that were living in poverty greater opportunities," she said. "That was my first thought when I went to school. That was going to be my focus. How do we help people, especially in countries that are living in poverty?"

She did work at a handful of nonprofits before veering into higher education, joining Florida International University's institutional advancement office before moving on to roles at the university's medical school.

She describes herself as a "supporter" of political candidates, particularly women.

"I had gone to a few events and it wasn’t until a few women said you have such great experience, you should consider running, that made me think about it, because we were facing so many attacks on education at the time by Rick Scott," Mucarsel-Powell said.

"We were facing significant cuts in public education for institutions like FIU and I was seeing what was happening in Tallahassee, and that’s what made me – after a few people said you know you really should think about this – and I was married at the time. I had young kids. And it was for them. It was for my family. It was for so many families that we could continue to protect economic opportunities," she said.

In 2016, she ran for the state Senate, losing to an incumbent Republican, Anitere Flores.

That didn't deter her from running in the next cycle for Congress. This time, she won, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo with 51% of the vote.

Representing Florida's 26th District in Washington, Mucarsel-Powell wrote a bill to cover COVID-19 medical bills for seniors with Medicare Advantage and securing $200 million for Everglades restoration, according to her campaign bio.

She faced another election in 2020, when she lost to outgoing Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Since then, Mucarsel-Powell has served as a senior advisor for Giffords, a gun violence prevention organization cofounded by former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and as a special advisor for the 2022 Summit of the Americas.

How does she approach the Israel-Gaza conflict?

When Hamas crossed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly unsuspecting civilians, before taking about 250 hostages, Mucarsel-Powell said she expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself.

"We have to make sure we bring back the Israeli hostages, that we eradicate Hamas terrorists and protect civilian life," she said. "That is integral in following the values that we have here in this country."

Mucarsel-Powell said she supports U.S. efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza civilians who have survived a relentless assault by Israel that has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.

Scott, she said, has blocked aid to Israel and Ukraine − part of the compromise bill that also included a number of border security measures aimed at stemming the flow of undocumented immigrants across the southern border.

Her approach to other foreign affairs matters?

"We have to be very, very clear in who our adversaries are. That’s Russia, China, Iran, and what are they doing right now? Russia is propping up dictatorships in Latin America. In Cuba. In Venezuela," Mucarsel-Powell said. "And what is Rick Scott doing? Voting against aid to fight against Russia. So when he does that, he’s basically siding with dictators like Putin."

Asked about her experience traveling the world, Mucarsel-Powell mentioned growing up in Ecuador and spending time with family members in Venezuela.

"I’ve had the opportunity to travel somewhat. Not as much as I would like, but it’s been being accepting of other people’s cultures, where they come from, their beliefs," she said.

Love of diversity, respect for faith

Mucarsel-Powell said one of the things she loves about Miami is its diverse population.

"People coming from all over the world – not just Latin America, but all over the world, really," she said.

"I’ve always felt that respect for others is something that has guided me and that’s why maybe many people," she said. "... Maybe that’s why I don’t talk so much about my personal faith, because I respect other people’s faith. I know that people in this country, people have come here fleeing political persecution, religious persecution. That has been the basis of America. For that reason, I have maintained my faith private, I mean, I pray every night, but I don’t share that with everyone."

While the leader of her party, President Joe Biden, attempts to spotlight the strengths of the economy − an unemployment rate of below 4% for two years, and consistent growth in gross domestic product − Mucarsel-Powell says her focus is on people who have not benefited.

"The reality is that Florida families are struggling across our state because they are being priced out of their homes because of skyrocketing property insurance rates," she said. "In Florida, our insurance rates are almost 300% more than what they were just a few years ago and much higher than the national average, so the cost of living in our state has skyrocketed."

She takes Scott to task for his approaches to healthcare. Mucarse-Powell says she worked in Congress to expand Medicare coverage.

"What did he do? He wrote a plan that would sunset Medicare and Social Security. He actually has been calling out to repeal the Affordable Care Act," she said. " Imagine 4 million families here in Florida that would lose their health coverage because Rick Scott wants to repeal the ACA."

Point of fact: While Scott did release a 12-point "Rescue America" plan that included a provision to sunset all federal legislation within five years, he said in 2023 that Social Security and Medicare were never intended to be a part of that plan. And Scott said claims by Biden and others that he was attempting to end those programs was a "disingenuous Democrat lie."

Mucarsel-Powell says her aim is to provide opportunities for everyone, and fulfill a promise that people who work hard can make it.

"That’s a story I want to work in the Senate to protect," she said. "That’s the main reason why I’m running again."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Abortion on Florida ballot boosts Debbie Mucarsel-Powell's chances