Democrats have yet to produce major 2024 challenger against Rick Scott
Ryan King
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Although still early in the process, Florida Democrats have so far been unable to produce a major challenger against Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) in the 2024 cycle.
Possible contenders on Democrat’s shortlist will likely face a considerable uphill battle against Scott as the state’s political climate has shifted in favor of the GOP.
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Some of the names floated around include former NBA stars Dwayne Wade and Grant Hill, as well as Brevard County School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins, former Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), and state Sen. Shev Jones, according to NBC News.
The NBA legends have attracted significant buzz recently as Sunshine State Democrats ponder whether a high-profile celebrity-type candidate can help them overcome their spate of losses.
The last Democrat to win a Florida Senate seat was former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) in 2012. Nelson, who is now the NASA administrator, lost reelection to Scott in 2018 49.93% to 50.05%. He was roughly 10,000 votes behind.
Since then, Democrats have faced heavy losses in the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) trounced former Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) by almost 20 percentage points in the 2022 midterm elections. Not only that, but Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) beat former Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) by double-digits as well.
Republicans also now have over 400,000-person voter registration advantage in the state. At the time of the Scott-Nelson race, Democrats had a roughly 270,000 voter advantage.
Scott had a net worth of over 259,663,681 in 2018, according to Open Secrets, and is a prolific fundraiser. He served as Florida governor from 2011 to 2019. During his tenure, his approval rating was often underwater as he navigated reforms to programs such as Medicaid.
Some of these positions could give Democrats ammunition in a race against him. Last year, he revealed a 12-point plan to sunset all government laws. Democrats accused him of threatening Social Security and Medicare; however, he later clarified that those programs would be exempt from that review.
“Social Security, Medicare is an incredibly powerful issue, and Rick Scott, I believe, is out of touch with folks in Florida on that issue,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said back in February, per the Washington Post.
The 2024 race would be the first presidential election cycle Scott will be on the ballot, meaning that if the Republican nominee proves to be a drag on the ticket, it could boost Democrats in down-ballot races such as the contest for Florida’s Senate seat.
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Scott has drawn a minor GOP primary challenge from businessman and lawyer Keith Gross. His campaign had $4 million at its disposal by the end of 2022, according to filings.
Republicans are heading into the 2024 Senate cycle in a favorable position, only having to defend 11 seats, while Democrats must guard 23, including three held by Democratic-aligned independent senators.