Current:Home > MarketsFlorida Sen. Rick Scott seeks reelection with an eye toward top GOP leadership post -AssetLink
Florida Sen. Rick Scott seeks reelection with an eye toward top GOP leadership post
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:20:41
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is hoping being reelected to a second term will put him in a position to earn a Senate leadership role, while former Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell seeks an upset victory that could help her party maintain its razor-thin control of the chamber.
Scott hopes to succeed U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is stepping down as the GOP leader. A win for him would also reaffirm the strength of the Republican Party in the state despite ballot measures on abortion rights and recreational marijuana l egalization that Democrats hope will drive up turnout.
Mucarsel-Powell is running two years after Democrats lost all five statewide seats on the ballot in Republican landslides. She was elected to represent a Miami district in 2018 and was the first Ecuadorian American and South American-born congressional member. She lost her reelection to U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez in 2020.
Scott has a large fundraising advantage, including millions of his personal wealth he’s pumped into the campaign, in a state that has shifted more firmly Republican. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee insists Scott is vulnerable, but national Democrats were slow to invest in Florida, one of the most expensive states to buy campaign ads.
Scott needed a recount to win his first Senate election, but that was when Democrats had an advantage in voter registration. This year, Republicans outnumber Democrats by about a million voters, and Scott’s victory came two years after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio won in landslides.
Murcarsel-Powell is hoping Vice President Kamala Harris lifts her and other Democrats on the ballot.
This year, Scott also is facing dents in his political resume, including his failure to earn a GOP majority two years ago after leading the National Republican Senatorial Committee and his losing challenge to upend McConnell from Senate leadership in a 37-10 vote. He also was nationally criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for a proposal he had to sunset federal programs every five years, which initially had no exceptions for popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Scott has focused his message on the economy and rising household prices during President Joe Biden’s administration. He also has spent months supporting former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, despite it taking him about a year after Trump announced his campaign to endorse him.
veryGood! (9344)
Related
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- Pregnant Hailey Bieber Reacts to Justin Bieber Divorce Rumors
- Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, endorses VP Kamala Harris for president
- Florida’s population passes 23 million for the first time due to residents moving from other states
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Man is arrested in the weekend killing of a Detroit-area police officer
- Israel shoots down missile fired from Yemen after deadly Israeli strike on Houthi rebels
- George Clooney backs VP Harris, after calling for Biden to withdraw
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Blake Lively Channels Husband Ryan Reynolds During Rare Red Carpet Date Night at Deadpool Premiere
Ranking
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Wednesday August 7, 2024
- Love Island USA's Kendall Washington Addresses Leaked NSFW Video
- Andy Murray Announces He’s Retiring From Tennis After 2024 Olympics
- Rare black bear spotted in southern Illinois
- A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Middle America
- Bridgerton Unveils Season 4’s Romantic Lead
- How to play a game and win free Chick-fil-A: What to know about Code Moo
Recommendation
Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, last surviving member of Motown group Four Tops, dies at 88
3 killed, 6 injured after argument breaks into gunfire at Philadelphia party: reports
FBI says man, woman may be linked to six human-caused wildfires in southern New Mexico
Oklahoma parole board recommends governor spare the life of man on death row
Harris to visit battleground Wisconsin in first rally as Democrats coalesce around her for president
Foreign leaders react to Biden's decision not to seek reelection
FBI says man, woman may be linked to six human-caused wildfires in southern New Mexico