The Florida Democratic Senate candidate and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) believes that two crucial rulings on abortion by the state’s Supreme Court will have a big impact on the Senate race in November.
According to a memo revealed by The Hill on Tuesday, Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign suggested that incumbent Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) could be at risk regarding abortion and connected him to the state’s six-week ban on the procedure. Her campaign also criticized Scott for potentially endangering access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The memo This comes shortly after the state’s highest court made two rulings, one of which upheld Florida’s 15-week abortion ban but approved a ballot measure that would safeguard access to abortion if passed in November.
The rulings guarantee that abortion rights will be a central issue for Floridians as they go to the polls in November, and the memo stated that Rick Scott’s support for both a national abortion ban and Florida’s severe abortion ban poses a significant threat to his reelection. It emphasized Mucarsel-Powell's commitment to defending abortion rights.
Scott responded to the rulings in a statement on Monday, portraying Mucarsel-Powell as extreme on abortion.
“We must work hard to make adoption more affordable, and I’ll always protect IVF, an issue that’s important to me and my family, as well as countless Floridians,” Scott said in a statement. “Floridians also agree that there should be some reasonable limits placed on abortion.”
“Sadly, my opponent opposes ANY limits on abortion, allowing it even after a baby can feel pain and suck their thumb, even up to the baby’s due date,” he continued. “She is ok with a baby’s skull being crushed at 9 months and ok with a newborn baby being put in the corner crying and left to die. That’s what extremism looks like.”
While Florida Democrats say the decision will galvanize voters to turn out for them in November, Scott will be a tough opponent to beat. The senator is the state’s former governor and enjoys widespread name ID.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely Republican.”
In an interview with The Hill following the decision Monday, Mucarsel-Powell said the abortion issue “unites” voters.
“We’ve seen time and time again that when abortion is on the ballot, it brings voters out,” she said.
Democrats and abortion rights advocates welcomed the approval of the ballot measure on Monday, citing recent Democratic wins in relation to abortion in Republican-leaning states. Last week, Democrats flipped a state-House seat in deep-red Alabama by emphasizing the issue. Last year, abortion rights advocates in Ohio voted to embed abortion access in the state’s constitution.
Mucarsel-Powell is not the only Democrat aiming to capitalize on the issue in her race. Abortion-related measures are on the ballot in Maryland, Montana and Arizona, which all have closely watched Senate races this cycle.
President Biden's campaign for reelection also stated that they saw a chance resulting from the choice in the state, putting out their own memo on Monday.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager, wrote that with an abortion proposition officially on the ballot in November in Florida, President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with their dedication to resisting Donald Trump and Rick Scott's assaults on reproductive rights, will help motivate and broaden the electorate in the state, considering the vast majority of Floridians favor abortion rights.
Rodriguez added, “And Florida Republicans will be compelled to justify their harsh, unjustifiable backing of this abortion prohibition.
