Florida Dems Hope Fourth Time Is A Charm Against Rick Scott And His Bank Account

The U.S. senator and former governor has won all three of his statewide races, but never by more than a single percentage point.

TAMPA, Fla. — As Democrats gear up for yet another run against Florida Republican Rick Scott, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell hopes the fourth time is a charm.

In three statewide campaigns over eight years, Democrats have racked up three maddeningly close losses against the former governor and current U.S. senator.

“I know I can beat Rick Scott,” the former congresswoman from Miami told a room of supporters this week. “This is a real unique opportunity that we have here in Florida, and we can’t miss this opportunity.”

She and other Democrats have a whole list of reasons why they can finally beat Scott this time. In his three previous general election races, his margins have gotten progressively thinner: from 1.2 percent against banker Alex Sink in the 2010 governor’s race to 1 percent against former governor and Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in 2014 to just two-tenths of a percent against then-incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018.

They point out that Scott has never had to run in a presidential election year, when Democrats in Florida have done a better job turning out their voters than in midterm years. And they argue that Scott is uniquely vulnerable this time, given his public support for both strict abortion limits as well as a phaseout of Social Security and Medicare.