Rick Scott Faces New Challenger for Florida Senate Seat

Democrat Phil Ehr is challenging Senator Rick Scott in the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Florida as the party hopes to stage a comeback in the former battleground that has shifted toward Republicans in recent years.

Ehr, a retired U.S. Navy commander who previously ran for Congress in Florida's 1st Congressional District, announced his Senate run on Monday with a video advertisement highlighting his 26-year military career and work in Ukraine. He also attacked Scott, a Republican who was first elected in 2018, for his ties to a Medicare fraud scandal and support for former President Donald Trump.

"A storm is brewing in Florida. For eight years, politicians like Rick Scott, DeSantis, Gaetz and Rubio have stood by Trump's war on on the truth," Ehr said in the video. They're the axis of lies, spreading disinformation at all costs. They want to keep us confused, lost in the storm to hold onto power."

Newsweek reached out to the Scott campaign via email for comment.

In a statement sent to Newsweek on Monday afternoon, Ehr said he is running to fight for "American values" and protect the country "against extremism."

"Extreme politicians like Rick Scott only care about themselves and their ultra rich donors and friends, not middle class Floridians, which is why Scott tried to destroy bedrock programs like Social Security and Medicare that millions of Floridians rely on. Scott has actively participated in Donald Trump's war on the truth, and just like Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz and other MAGA diehards, he's part of the Axis of Lies that is threatening to tear America apart at the seams. So once again, duty calls," he wrote.

He also pointed to a new Change Research poll as showing the competitive nature of the race.

The survey, conducted from June 27 to 29 among 1,298 likely voters, found Ehr trailing Scott by 4 percentage points. The poll found 45 percent of respondents backing Scott, while 41 percent said they would vote for Ehr.

His announcement comes amid reports that Democrats have struggled to coalesce around a well-known candidate in Florida's Senate race, and as only a handful of minor Democratic candidates have also announced plans to challenge Scott.

Former U.S. Representatives Stephanie Murphy and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell have long been floated as potential challengers but have not said whether or not they will run in the election. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has reportedly been urging Mucarsel-Powell, who represented parts of South Florida from 2019 to 2021, to enter the race, according to Politico.

Pollsters have not conducted surveys on the 2024 Senate election, which remains more than a year out. But analysts view Scott as being favored against a Democratic candidate.

For decades, Florida was viewed as the nation's largest battleground state that has been roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. But the state has drifted toward the GOP in recent years amid a rightward turn among Hispanic voters and as conservative retirees flock to the state.

Despite winning the 2020 presidential election, President Joe Biden failed to win Florida, making him the first president to win the election without carrying the Sunshine State since Bill Clinton in 1992.

Democratic fortunes continued to falter during the 2022 midterms, when Republicans sailed to victory in statewide races despite Democrats having stronger-than-anticipated results across the country. Governor Ron DeSantis won the state by 19 points, while Senator Marco Rubio beat back his Democratic challenger by 16 points.

The Cook Political Report, an organization that tracks elections across the United States, rates Florida's Senate election as "likely Republican," meaning it is "not considered competitive at this point" but has "the potential to become engaged."

Scott is also facing a primary challenge from his fellow Republican Keith Gross, an assistant state attorney and businessman.

The incumbent senator was first elected in 2018 when he narrowly defeated former Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat. Scott spent nearly $64 million of his own money on the campaign, according to The Miami Herald.

Update 07/17/2023, 3:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Ehr and with additional information.