JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida's democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Debbie Mucarsal-Powell met with voters and prominent Duval County democrats Tuesday. She made stops in Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach as part of her statewide bus tour.
Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador and moved to Miami with her family when she was a teenager. She was first elected to Florida's 26th Congressional District in 2019. Now, she is looking to unseat incumbent republican Sen. Rick Scott.
"I want to work for everyone, put politics aside. Bring the state together. Reach across the aisle when I’m in the Senate," Mucarsel-Powell explained.
According to the latest polling data from the University of North Florida, Rick Scott is narrowly leading with 49% of respondents indicating support for him. Mucarsel-Powell is right behind him with 46%. First Coast News political analyst and UNF political communications professor John Daigle said he is not surprised by the close numbers.
"Scott has a history of winning by very close margins. In his last three races, he has never won by more than a point and a half," Daigle explained.
The poll also shows 4% of respondents were still undecided. Daigle said the undecided voters will play a key role in the outcome of the race.
"I think if I were Scott, I would be really concerned that there's still 4% in that poll undecided and he's got a lot of work to do over the next two weeks," Daigle said.
Mucarsel-Powell said she will continue her bus stop and making stops across Florida during the last two weeks before Election Day. She believes this has contributed to the close polling data.
"I think that people really have gotten to know me and understand that really, for me, it's about Florida. I'm not paying attention to all the politics that's going on nationally. For me, it's about resolving the issues that we have in our state," Mucarsel-Powell said.
Senator Rick Scott's team provided a statement on Mucarsel-Powell's visit. Scott also plans on traveling the state ahead of Election Day. Team Rick Scott Spokesman Jonathan Turcotte said "every election cycle, Democrats say they can beat Rick Scott and they lose every time. This cycle will be no different.”