Current:Home > MarketsFlorida Sen. Rick Scott seeks reelection with an eye toward top GOP leadership post -BeyondProfit Compass
Florida Sen. Rick Scott seeks reelection with an eye toward top GOP leadership post
View
Date:2025-04-17 05:07:17
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! (4337)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Eva Mendes to Ryan Gosling at Oscars: 'Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed'
- Alexis Bledel Makes Rare Red Carpet Appearance at Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscars 2024 Party
- Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. Leave Oscars After-Party Together Amid Romance Rumors
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- RHOC's Alexis Bellino and John Janssen Make First Red Carpet Appearance as a Couple
- Al Pacino Makes Rare Appearance at 2024 Oscars to Present Best Picture
- See Emma Stone, Margot Robbie and More Stars' Fashion Transformations for Oscars 2024 After-Parties
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- The Livestock Industry’s Secret Weapons: Expert Academics
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, March 10, 2024
- 4 adults, 1 child killed after small plane crashes in Bath County, Virginia woods: Police
- Brutally honest reviews of Oscar best song performances, including Ryan Gosling
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- RHOC's Alexis Bellino and John Janssen Make First Red Carpet Appearance as a Couple
- 'I wish she would've pushed Angel Reese': LSU's Kim Mulkey reacts to women's SEC title fight
- Royal Expert Omid Scobie Weighs in On Kate Middleton Photo Controversy
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Demi Moore and Her Daughters Could Be Quadruplets at 2024 Oscars After-Party
Why Wes Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio and More Stars Were MIA From the Oscars
USWNT defeats Brazil to win inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Two National Guard soldiers, Border Patrol agent identified after deadly helicopter crash
John Cena argues with Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel over nude bit: 'You wrestle naked, why not?'
List of winners so far at the 2024 Oscars