Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s (R) reelection campaign will run an ad labeling his opponent, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell, a “silly socialist” during a Miami Dolphins game on Thursday.
The 30-second spot hits Mucarsel Powell over her record on immigration, accusing her of wanting to give “tax money to people here illegally.”
The Hill is the first outlet to view the ad, a part of a seven-figure television and digital statewide ad buy airing in English and Spanish.
In the ad’s release, Scott’s campaign tied Mucarsel Powell to progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), calling them “self-proclaimed socialists.”
“Voters have kicked her out of office before because her voting record favored the socialist agenda and illegal aliens, not Florida families,” the Scott campaign said.
The spot marks the latest in a round of attacks between Scott and Mucarsel Powell. Scott has repeatedly labeled Mucarsel Powell as a “socialist,” while Mucarsel Powell has attacked the senator over his stances on abortion, social security, and Medicare.
Last week, Mucarsel Powell’s campaign hit back against Scott’s use of the socialist label against her in her own ad. In the spot, Mucarsel Powell talks about her background coming to the U.S. from Ecuador and features footage of former Guillermo Rodríguez, who led a coup in Ecuador and led the country for about four years in the 1970s.
“For me, freedom isn’t some political slogan. It’s why I came to America,” she says in the ad.
In an interview with Newsweek last week, Mucarsel Powell spoke about having a “legal pathway” for immigrants to live and work in the U.S., but maintained that “cannot continue to criminalize immigrants” and accused Scott’s rhetoric of inciting violence against immigrants.
“We’ve seen an incitement of violence against immigrants because of these talking points that Rick Scott continues to use, and a lot of them are completely false,” she told the outlet.
Polls show a relatively tight race between Scott and Mucarsel Powell. A poll released last week from The Hill and Emerson College Polling showed the former congresswoman trailing the senator by one point. However, a Morning Consult poll released on Monday showed her five points behind Scott.
The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Scott leading Mucarsel Powell by just less than 3 points.
