U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell are confirmed for a November battle after both are on their way to resounding wins in Primaries Tuesday.
The competition was outmatched, with both nominees saving big money for the General Election.
Scott, who closed July with more than $3.8 million cash on hand, is on his way to defeating long-shots John Columbus, who had $814 on hand at the same point, and Keith Gross, who had a little more than $13,000.
Scott had nearly 85% of the vote, though final results won't be known until later in the evening. He actually is performing worse thus far than he did in 2018, when he got 88.6% of the vote against Rocky de la Fuente.
Mucarsel-Powell had more than $4.3 million on hand at last month's end, well ahead of Stanley Campbell's less than $125,000 and the under $11,000 Rod Joseph had at the same time.
The Democratic nominee is clearing 70% in early returns, with Campbell, Joseph, and former state Rep. Brian Rush divvying up the rest.
The General Election campaign likely will take place along already familiar battle lines, with the Democrat attempting to take advantage of a backlash against reproductive rights restrictions in Florida since the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision of 2022.
Among the issues that have cropped up: in vitro fertilization, which Scott says he backs and which Mucarsel-Powell contends he doesn't.
At the end of July, the Naples Republican filed the Increasing Value for Families with HSAs Act. That bill, per Scott, is designed to "help individuals and families better plan and pay for medical expenses, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), by decoupling health savings accounts from high-deductible health plans, and doubling the current contribution limits on HSAs from $4,300 to $8,600 for individuals and $8,550 to $17,100 for families."
The Democratic opposition frames it somewhat differently, saying Scott is spending "millions of dollars to lie to Florida voters about his anti-IVF record and cover up his recent vote against bipartisan legislation to protect access to IVF treatment."
The high cost of living has been another point of contention between the two.
"Floridians are tired of extremism, they are tired of the division, the chaos, and they are facing an affordability crisis. We have the highest level of inflation here in the state of Florida than in any other place in the country because of Rick Scott's failed policies that started when he was Governor," claimed Debbie Mucarsel-Powell during a recent appearance on The Sasha View.
Scott, meanwhile, blames the Democrat and the current President for money not going as far as it should, with a spokesman saying "nearly 80 percent of Americans are saying fast food has become a luxury. The Democrats are out-of-touch, and it's hurting average Americans. Floridians understand the best way to get the economy back working is to fire Joe Biden and Mucarsel-Powell for good in November."
Polling of a potential race between Mucarsel-Powell and Scott has been all over the place.
The latest survey from Florida Atlantic University's PolCom Lab shows Scott with a marginal 47% to 43% lead over his Democratic opponent.
Polling from Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) shows Scott ahead of Mucarsel-Powell by 10 points (52-42%) with 7% of voters undecided.
Other Florida Atlantic University polls showed a 16-point race and a two-point difference, and a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll that showed a 15-point gap earlier this Summer.
Questions remain, meanwhile, about Scott's popularity after a USA Today survey released last Monday. The R+8 poll showed him at just 35% approval, and suggested the Senator has issues across various demographics.
While Scott is treading water with men (45% approval against 44% disapproval), women voters surveyed here seem to be in revolt, with just 28% approving of Scott and 52% disapproving.
Meanwhile, Scott is also underwater with all groups of voters under the age of 65, while treading water with senior citizens with 40% approval and 40% disapproval.
With those under 35, he is at 35% approval and 57% disapproval. He is at -19 with voters between 35 and 49 years of age, and at the same level with those between 50 and 64.
Yet his performance with Republicans could be most concerning. The Naples Republican has just 59% approval in his own party, against 24% disapproval. Meanwhile, an additional 10% claim to have never heard of the man who has held statewide office continuously since the beginning of 2011.
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