News : Debbie Mucarsel-Powell on Democrats’ uphill battle in Florida

Monday, September 11, 2023

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell on Democrats’ uphill battle in Florida

Sep 11, 2023

Former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks.

Former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks at a gun Violence Memorial installation at Bayfront Park, Dec. 13, 2021, in Miami. | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Good morning and welcome to Monday.

They booed at mentions of Gov. Ron DeSantis, posed in picture boxes labeled with Barbie cursive and filled an Orlando ballroom to Destiny's Child’s “Independent Women.”

But the Democrats who gathered for Ruth List’s annual “She’s the Change” conference this weekend didn’t make light of their chances in Florida next year, given the inroads Republicans have made since 2016.

The conference, which was in support of female candidates who back abortion rights, was the first public event for former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell since announcing her challenge to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) last month. But Democrats there acknowledged that they’d previously allowed a sense of apathy to take hold in Florida, lost voters, didn’t plan for the future and that the national Democratic political apparatus had all but abandoned them.

Playbook sat down with Mucarsel-Powell in Orlando on Saturday to get her thoughts on her race, her party and why Florida Latinos supported Republicans in 2022. Mucarsel-Powell framed the 2024 election — as President Joe Biden often does — as an existential fight for democracy. It remains to be seen whether the pitch that largely worked elsewhere for the president in 2020 and 2022 will resonate in Florida.

On her tough challenge to Scott:

“I'm not relying on the state party, I'm not relying on the [Democratic] Senatorial Campaign Committee. I'm going to run a campaign on my own … but I'm going to make it impossible for the state and federal party to not invest in this state.”

On how she’ll get the Democratic Party to invest in Florida:

“By showing them that we can win and that we will win. I believe that this country has seen the results of its negligence of abandoning Florida. If the Democratic Party and the country really care about our environment, if they really care about diversity, if they really care about protecting workers rights, small businesses, if they care about women, children, gun violence — they have to invest in Florida. It's that simple.”

On how Republicans won a majority of Latinos who voted in Florida in 2022:

“This is not a red state,” said Mucarsel-Powell, who was born in Ecuador. “This is a voter-suppressed and gerrymandered state. And what happened in ‘22 is exactly that.”

She accused Republicans of using “misinformation” and distracting through “populism” to try to appeal to Latinos, and accused DeSantis of scaring voters through his elections’ police force that announced several arrests for voter fraud (some of which were later dismissed).

“People were scared to come out and vote,” she said. “It was a year where we didn't have all the investments coming into our state, where there was a lot of apathy and where there was a lot of disengagement. And we saw the results of that. Our base stayed home.”

On Republicans labeling Democrats in Florida as “socialists”:

“Rick Scott is asking for federal funding for disaster relief. Is that socialism? I mean, I ask him because it's the same thing. We're using the same pot of money. That's what Congress does. They provide funding to support families in our state, just like they've done it to support small businesses, just like they've done it to support disaster relief.”

“Don't ever question where I stand with socialist dictators who have completely choked the economic, political and social systems in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. I have always stood on the side of freedom, liberty and democracy — and maybe they should start paying attention and they should do the same thing.”

Asked about the comments, Priscilla Ivasco, spokesperson for the Scott campaign, dismissed Mucarsel-Powell’s candidacy and predicted “Florida voters rejected her once and they will do it again.” They also panned her question about whether the disaster funding constituted socialism. “If you don’t understand that you aren’t qualified to be in elected office,” Ivasco said.

— WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will meet with 9/11 families in New York City to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

WTF? — “DeSantis’ affordable housing director placed on leave — again,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower: The board of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation voted on Friday to have executive director Mike DiNapoli put on paid leave for the second time in two months “after an investigation determined he created a hostile work environment and violated other policies.”

FLORIDA FEARS — “Immigrant workers who help rebuild after storms fear coming to Florida over DeSantis law,” by Miami Herald’s Syra Ortiz Blanes: “Resilience Force, a labor-organizing group that advocates for disaster workers, said it surveyed most of its membership of about 2,000 workers, composed of mostly undocumented immigrants and some natural-born citizens, through virtual chats, one-on-one conversations, and in-person meetings. The organization found that more than half of its members don’t want to come to Florida.”

— “Senate President Kathleen Passidomo makes small tweaks to committees ahead of 2024 Session,” by FloridaPolitics’ Danny McAuliffe

TRASHING THE FLORIDA BLUEPRINT — California tries for a different path than Florida on insurance, by POLITICO’s Camille Von Kaenel: State officials trying to figure out how to stem the exodus of property insurers from wildfire-prone areas are looking east with trepidation at hurricane-ravaged Florida, where residents pay insurance rates three times the national average and are still finding it difficult to get coverage … But the Golden State hasn’t proved yet it can show a viable alternative to Florida.

SPEAKING OF CALI V. FL — “Gavin Newsom says DeSantis debate ‘getting closer,’ hit ‘venue issue’ over disagreement on audience size,” by the Messenger’s Zachary Leeman: Newsom also accused DeSantis of being "functionally authoritarian."

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

STATE PROSECUTOR DEFIANT AFTER DESANTIS REMOVAL — One month after DeSantis suspended her under accusations of being too soft on crime, state prosecutor Monique Worrell stood by her record in a Ruth’s List speech on Saturday and boasted about falling crime rates under her administration. She maintained that the best way to reduce crime was not through higher incarceration but through “programming and resources into disenfranchised communities.”

“I've been referred to as the latest victim of Ron DeSantis,” she said. “But let me be very clear: I am no one's victim. This is a war for our democracy and I am but a soldier in that war, one that we must all fight collectively without falling into the trap of division.”

Worrell is trying to get her job back through a petition to the state Supreme Court. On Saturday, she accused DeSantis of targeting her to get attention for his 2024 presidential campaign. “We're dealing with political grandstanding,” she said. “We're dealing with political gamesmanship, and we're dealing with a narcissist who does not care about the well being of the people of the state of Florida but only his own political ambitions.”

OCTOBER 13 — Hillsborough parties announce speakers for signature fundraising galas, by Tampa Bay Times’ William March: Headlining the event are Sen. Rick Scott and DeSantis-appointed state attorney Suzy Lopez.

“The Hillsborough Democrats, meanwhile, will hold their comparable event, the Kennedy-King Gala, September 23, with Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Orlando and political thriller author David Pepper.”

— Hurricane Lee to bring hazardous beach conditions to Florida this week, though it’ll likely stay roughly 100 miles off the state’s coast, says WFTV

— Florida’s baby sea turtles are not OK, suffering from overheating and birth defects, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

CAMPAIGN MODE

Ron DeSantis speaks to the Christians United For Israel Summit in Arlington, Va.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the Christians United For Israel Summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Va. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

DELEGATE DISPUTE — “Ron DeSantis and Trump get ready for a fight at California’s GOP convention,” by NBC’s Allan Smith: "DeSantis and Trump allies “signal they are preparing to fight over the state party’s new delegate rules — a battle with major implications for the important Super Tuesday contest. … Previously, California Republicans used to assign delegates by congressional district. In other words, candidates could more easily target certain areas of the large and expensive state rather than fight over the statewide vote. But in late July, the party wrote a new rule to change the way it operates, making the transition to a potential winner-take-all state.”

DEJA VU — “Covid hero or ‘Lockdown Ron’? DeSantis and Trump renew pandemic politics,” by NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas: “The virus could be an important wedge issue for Mr. DeSantis, who at times has struggled to provide voters with a clear case for why he would be a better president than Mr. Trump, the Republican front-runner. But there are questions about whether a pandemic that many Americans see as long over will resonate with the electorate in 2024. Now, a recent resurgence of Covid-19 cases is giving Mr. DeSantis a chance to press the argument.”

PLAYOFFS — “In Iowa, Trump and DeSantis take the campaign to the tailgate tent,” by CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi and Aaron Pellish: “Asked by reporters how he’s distinguishing his message from Trump’s, DeSantis referred to the former president’s legal troubles and continued focus on the 2020 election results while positioning himself as a candidate focused on more substantive issues. ‘Iowans don’t want the campaign to be about the past, or to be about the candidates’ issues. They want it to be about their future and the future of this country. And that’s what I represent, the Florida governor said.”

NYT FROM THE STANDS — “The former president entered the game to a mix of applause and audible boos, as a plane with a banner reading ‘Where’s Melania?’ flew overhead — a nod to the absence of his wife from the campaign trail. Some attendees gave him the middle finger from the stands while he looked on from the glass-paneled box from which he watched the game.”

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

TRACKING TRUMP’S INDICTMENTS — “Lawyers in the Florida indictment, which involves alleged mishandling of sensitive documents, are overdue for a sealed hearing on the classified evidence the government plans to present,” according to WaPo’s newest recap.

BEHIND THE SCENES — Trump, the ultimate attention seeker, wages a campaign largely out of public view, by POLITICO’s Meredith McGraw: Trump has worked donors in an attempt to either get their money or persuade them not to give to others. He’s had meetings with policy advisers and has churned out policy videos. He’s done tele-rallies. And Trump has made countless personal calls to Republican officials in an effort to win their support.

TOGETHER AGAIN — Megyn Kelly is interviewing Trump on her Sirius XM Radio program, “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Thursday at noon. This is the first interview since the two’s memorable exchange during the 2016 presidential debate.

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

VANDALISM OR AWESOME? — Key West International Airport got a new name, at least temporarily, sure to thrill Parrotheads.

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.