Scott and Mucarsel-Powell are raring for a fight. They’ll have to win primaries first

From the beginning, the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Florida was seen as a likely matchup between Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

But before that happens, both the incumbent and Democratic favorite are going to have to get through primaries with wealthy opponents who are already taking shots.

Scott, a former Florida governor who’s seeking a second term in the Senate after ousting Democratic former Sen. Bill Nelson nearly six years ago, is set to face off against two fellow Republicans in Florida’s Aug. 20 primary: John Columbus and Keith Gross. Both are little-known in Florida politics, but that didn’t stop them from qualifying for the ballot ahead of a crucial Friday deadline.

Scott opponent has deep pockets

Gross, a lawyer and businessman, has sought to cast Scott as a “Republican in name only” – or “RINO” – while billing himself as a political outsider. His campaign has been overwhelmingly self-financed; Gross’ latest federal filings show that while he raked in nearly $544,000 for his Senate bid in the first quarter, all but $7,800 of it came from his own pocketbook.

Still, he said that he had been rallying voters across the state, arguing that his campaign poses a genuine threat to Scott’s reelection odds.

“If you think I’m being overlooked, I’d encourage you to come out to the dozens of small towns across the state where I’ve drawn crowds of several hundred patriotic conservatives,” Gross wrote in a message to the Miami Herald. “Our movement is here to stay, and RINO Rick has been put on notice.”

Biden support for Mucarsel-Powell

On the Democratic side, Mucarsel-Powell is the overwhelming favorite to capture her party’s nomination in August. She’s raised more money than any of her primary rivals, and already has the backing of some of both Florida and Washington’s most-prominent Democrats, including President Joe Biden, who threw his support behind her this week during a campaign stop in Florida.

“Debbie’s running against Rick Scott, who wants to sunset Social Security. I think that voters are going to sunset Rick Scott,” Biden told a crowd in Tampa on Tuesday. At one point, he referred to her as “our next U.S. senator.”

Standing just feet away from Biden as he heaped praise on Mucarsel-Powell was Stanley Campbell, a Miami native and prominent Florida businessman, who is one of several Democrats also vying for the party’s Senate nod.

Wants Washington to stay out of race

In an interview with the Herald on Friday, Campbell slammed party leaders for trying to coronate Mucarsel-Powell as the nominee. He said that he – and several other Democrats who will appear on the August primary ballot – are owed a chance to compete for the nomination on a level playing field.

“I don’t deserve even just a chance to run? A chance to tell Florida my story? That is absolutely asinine,” Campbell said. “All I ask Washington to do is to stay out of the race and let us adjudicate it.”

Campbell said that his background – as a U.S. Navy pilot, computer programmer and businessman – gave him the “gravitas” the tackle the country’s most pressing concerns, like a resurgent Russia, the rise of artificial intelligence and inequities in healthcare access.

“My expertise would be unique and qualifying and differentiating in the Senate,” he said. “And they’re big. They’re huge.”

Campbell’s campaign had nearly $772,000 in the bank at the end of March, according to his most recent federal filings, and has pulled in roughly $1.05 million for his Senate bid since he announced his candidacy last year. Most of that money – $1 million – came from Campbell himself.

Still, neither Scott nor Mucarsel-Powell are treating their primary rivals as much of a threat.

Scott, an incredibly wealthy former businessman who has a propensity for writing large checks to his own campaigns, has spent $700,000 a week for the past month to run ads in Florida courting Hispanic voters. Mucarsel-Powell, meanwhile, raised more than $3.5 million in the first three months of the year, outpacing all of her competitors.

Gearing up for November elections

Despite having primaries awaiting them in August, both Scott’s and Mucarsel-Powell’s campaigns already appear geared toward a general election audience. In a statement, Scott’s campaign said that the senator is “working hand-in-hand” with former President Donald Trump to boost Republicans in the November elections.

“Senator Scott is working hard every day to earn the vote of every Floridian,” said Will Hampson, a spokesperson for Scott’s campaign. “He is traveling the state and has already campaigned in more than 70% of counties and will hit all 67 before the primary. Our campaign has rolled out a multi-million-dollar Hispanic ad buy to ensure our message reaches voters across the state. Senator Scott continues to be one of the strongest voices fighting against Washington’s waste and leads the fight against the Democrats’ socialist agenda every day.”

Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign manager Ben Waldon said that the former congresswoman is “working hard to earn the support” of Florida voters and isn’t taking the Democratic nomination for granted. But he also said that it would be a mistake to wait until after the August primary to begin making the case against Scott.

“Debbie takes the opportunity to earn her party’s nomination very seriously, and she also knows that we can’t wait until August to start holding Rick Scott accountable,” Waldon said in a statement. “Another 6 years of Rick Scott would be devastating for Florida families – that’s why she’s focused on traveling the state and building a strong grassroots movement of Floridians ready to defeat him in November.”