Mucarsel-Powell raises over $3.5 million in first quarter in Florida Senate race

Florida Senate candidate and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) said her campaign raised more than $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2024 and garnered over 5,000 new donors since the state’s Supreme Court’s recent rulings on abortion. 

Close to 90,000 donations were made to Mucarsel-Powell’s bid during the quarter, with an average donation coming to $39, according to her campaign. Mucarsel-Powell is challenging former Florida governor and Sen. Rick Scott (R) for his seat. 

The Hill was the first outlet to report on news of the fundraising haul. The news comes after Florida’s Supreme Court issued two major rulings on abortion, putting the state in the national spotlight ahead of November’s general election.

One of the rulings upheld the state’s 15-week abortion ban and allowed a ban after six weeks of pregnancy to go into effect next month. The other ruling gave the green light to a ballot measure that would protect access to abortion in the state if passed in November.

“It’s clear that Floridians are determined to protect their freedoms and hold Rick Scott accountable for doubling down on his support for a near-total abortion ban with almost no exceptions for rape and incest,” Mucarsel-Powell campaign manager Kate Letzler Moore said. “Debbie will continue to travel across the state, talking to voters across the political spectrum about the fight to protect our freedoms and opportunities from Rick Scott.”

Democrats inside and outside of Florida seized on the state Supreme Court’s rulings. President Biden’s reelection campaign rolled out a memo earlier this month saying it will target flipping the state in November. Meanwhile, the Florida Democratic Party said it “generated tens of thousands of dollars” following the rulings. 

However, the battle to win Florida, which was once considered a competitive swing state, will be an uphill climb. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Florida at the presidential and Senate levels “likely Republican.”