Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former one-term congresswoman from Miami, won the Democratic nomination in the race for U.S. Senate in Florida on Tuesday, setting up a challenge against Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent.
Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, 53, who led in fund-raising and had President Biden’s support, easily defeated three other Democrats. Mr. Scott, 71, who is seeking his second Senate term, also won, after facing nominal opposition in his party’s primary.
Florida has become more Republican and is no longer considered a swing state, so few political analysts view the November race as a Democratic pickup opportunity — especially given Mr. Scott’s vast personal wealth, which he has used to help finance his political campaigns. Still, presidential election years tend to turn out a less conservative-leaning electorate in Florida than during midterm cycles.
Mr. Scott, a former two-term Florida governor, was elected to the Senate in 2018, a midterm year, by a razor-thin margin that required a manual recount. He defeated Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, by about 10,000 votes. He is among the Republicans hoping to succeed Mitch McConnell when he steps down as Senate leader at the end of the year.
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Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, who immigrated to the United States from Ecuador as a teenager, represented a Miami district in Congress from 2019 through 2021. She has focused her message on what she calls Florida’s “affordability crisis,” driven in part by surging property insurance rates, and on restoring abortion rights and reducing gun violence.
“I feel very optimistic,” she told reporters in a call on Tuesday morning, “but there’s a lot of work to do.”
