Brother of 2 Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell challenges Rick Scott for U.S. Senate seat

It's been suggested that members of Congress aren't rocket scientists. Stanley Campbell hopes to change that.

Campbell, owner of the Martin Downs Golf Club in Palm City and brother of 2 Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell, confirmed plans to seek U.S. Sen. Rick Scott's seat during an exclusive interview with TCPalm.

Campbell ― a former Navy pilot, computer programmer and yes, rocket scientist ― vowed to unseat Scott in next year's election because he said the incumbent has lost touch with regular Floridians and been too beholden to special interests.

"I'm going to beat him because Florida is not for sale," Campbell said. "That's what he's going to find out in this election."

Florida Democrats have been looking for a candidate capable of mounting a serious challenge to Scott, a well-known Republican with a history of spending freely to win political campaigns.

Rumors had been circulating that Campbell might be getting into the race, but he hasn't made an official announcement yet. In an interview, Campbell told me that announcement will be forthcoming during a Nov. 15 event held at Treasure Coast Lexus in Fort Pierce.

Campbell, 68, said he filed his qualifying paperwork Sept. 27 and his campaign website, stanleyforflorida.com, is operational.

"I'm going to do common-sense approaches to common problems," Campbell said. "We've got a lot of work to do, and I'm all in."

Campbell understands what a daunting undertaking lies ahead. Scott, who served two terms as Florida's governor, spent $149.5 million combined in his past three races, according to NBC News.

Scott has a vast reserve of personal wealth as a former executive in the Columbia/HCA health care chain.

However, Campbell isn't a slouch in that department. He's also a multimillionaire who holds patents on about a dozen artificial intelligence software programs, including one used to catch Dennis Rader, the notorious "BTK" serial killer convicted of 10 murders over three decades.

Campbell said he expects Scott to outspend him and the other Democratic contenders for the seat by a margin of two to one. While Campbell's goal is raising about $50 million, he doesn't expect money to decide the race.

"He (Scott) is not going to win this election because I'm going to outwork him," Campbell said.

Scott didn't respond to multiple requests for comment about Campbell's candidacy Thursday. Someone who answered the phone at his Senate office suggested filling out an information request form on the campaign website. A request form wasn't unanswered.

Campbell said he generally supports moderate positions on many issues. He favors a women's right to choose on abortion and "moderate" gun control, including an assault weapon ban. He vowed to work with Florida's other senator, Republican Marco Rubio, to develop a "pathway to citizenship" for immigrants as well as a plan for securing the country's borders.

Campbell also wants a national disaster insurance program that would help defray homeowners' risks and costs of hurricanes, floods, fires and other calamities.

Campbell starts his campaign with a big deficit in name recognition. However, he says Luther, one of his four brothers, "has 95% name recognition in the state of Florida." The famous rapper has championed various political causes during his career, including a push to improve vaccination rates in poorer neighborhoods during the COVID epidemic.

Stanley Campbell's personal story is impressive. He and his family grew up in Liberty City, an economically depressed neighborhood in Miami.

After graduating from Florida A& M University, serving in the Navy and working for NASA, he founded his own company, Eagle Force Associates, which uses predictive data software to help pharmacies across the country detect Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

It's not hard to imagine campaign ads contrasting that part of Campbell's background with Columbia/HCA's history of paying a record $1.7 billion fine for Medicare fraud under Scott's watch.

Scott's tenure in the Senate has been controversial for other reasons, such as his "Rescue America" plan, which has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans, and his calls to dramatically scale back spending on social services.

While Campbell hasn't held public office before, he said he's worked behind the scenes in helping lawmakers craft important legislation, such as the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

He's also well acquainted with the Washington, D.C. political scene. His wife, Cheryl Campbell, is assistant secretary for administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Campbell said Scott, and Republicans in general, are vulnerable for failing to show proper respect to active-duty military personnel, veterans and their families. For example, Campbell criticizes Scott and his Republican colleagues for failing to persuade U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville to end his holdup of military appointments.

Having served in the military, Campbell said he would be able to better connect with that constituency. He said his first piece of proposed legislation would ensure members of Congress don't get paid if military personnel aren't during future government shutdowns.

According to the Governing website, Florida was home to 107,385 active-duty military as of September 2021, the fifth highest total in the U.S.

The state was home to about 1.5 million veterans in fiscal year 2020, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.

Campbell moved to Palm City about three and a half years ago. He also owns property in nearby St. Lucie County. In addition to Martin Downs, Campbell's portfolio includes the Northgreen Country Club in Rocky Mount, N.C. He's one of only a few African-American golf course owners in the country.

In order to face Scott next November, he'll have to win the Democratic primary in August. Other Democrats vying for the nomination include Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former one-term congresswoman from Miami.

This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at blake.fontenay@tcpalm.com or at 772-232-5424.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Stanley Campbell running for US Senate against Rick Scott of Florida