One of the most closely watched races this election cycle could affect the balance of power in the U.S. Senate: Republican Sen. Rick Scott is being challenged by former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Voters will decide Tuesday whether to retain Scott or elect Mucarsel-Powell to one of the few Senate seats the GOP is defending this election cycle.

Scott was elected to the Senate in 2018, defeating incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson by about 10,000 votes out of more than 8 million cast. He also served as governor twice, winning both times with less than 50% of the vote.

Mucarsell-Powell defeated a Republican incumbent and won her only term in Congress in 2018. However, two years later, she lost to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, giving up the seat that has changed parties several times in recent elections.

About the candidates

Scott says he has worked in Washington to return money to taxpayers, stop what he calls “reckless” government spending and fight inflation. He says he is taking action to protect Social Security and Medicare and rejects Mucarsel-Powell’s claims that he is committed to ending the federal programs.

“Are we going to take the path of socialism or the path of opportunity? It’s really that simple,” Scott told NBC6 anchor Jackie Nespral. “Do you want the government dictating your life, deciding all these things for you, and it costs you money and takes away opportunities? Or do you want to have freedom that requires responsibility and doesn’t mean you have a perfect result?” “

During her time in Congress, Mucarsel-Powell said she worked to expand Medicare, provide economic relief to families and small businesses and raise funds to rebuild the Everglades.

“(Scott) has voted against your interests for years,” Mucarsel-Powell said on Nesprals Impact. “I’m doing this because Florida deserves better than what we currently have in the Senate.”

To the top topics

Voters have made it clear in polls that the economy and inflation are the two issues that concern them most.

Scott has criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the economy, blaming what he calls “their tax-and-spend agenda” for rising inflation rates.

“Groceries, gas are way up… Almost everything that people touch,” Scott said. “This is the biggest problem we are dealing with. It all has one cause: the state spends more than it takes in. We spend 40% more than we earn and taxes are already high enough. I don’t know.” Every American that goes, oh man, I have to pay more taxes, so we have to do what I did as governor: balance the budget.

He criticized his opponent as “anti-business” and praised former President Donald Trump’s economic plan to support small businesses to stimulate the economy.

“(Trump) is a businessman. He knows how to build a company and make it grow. This country can’t grow, we can’t have more opportunities, we can’t have more jobs if we don’t have more successful companies,” Scott said. “Look at what the economy looked like when President Trump was president. We had lower unemployment, a much better economy, we had no inflation, closed borders and things like that. We need to understand this economy. She’s not.” That’ll be easy, but I’d rather have a businessman do it than someone who has no experience in business.

Mucarsel-Powell, who described herself as a fiscal conservative, said she opposed raising taxes on the middle class and vowed to address rising costs head-on.

“I am not convinced of raising taxes on those who earn $400,000 and above because there are families because the cost of living is so high that they don’t even have the opportunity to buy their first home,” she said to Nespral.

“We need to provide tax incentives, not increase taxes, on families who may not have the income to buy their first home or provide their families with an education,” Mucarsel-Powell said.

Poll numbers

According to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon for NBC6 and Telemundo 51, Scott leads Mucarsel-Powell by seven points. The poll shows 48 percent of Florida voters favor re-electing Scott to a second term in the Senate, while 41 percent are leaning toward voting for Mucarsel-Powell. Nine percent are still undecided.

Scott wants to take advantage of the undecided percentage: “I would like to meet everyone. I travel around the state every day and I’ve basically been doing this for 14 years. You have to talk to people, talk about their problems.” “

Mucarsel-Powell and Democrats hope that supporting two statewide ballot initiatives — legalizing recreational marijuana and establishing a constitutional right to abortion up to viability — will get them across the finish line, particularly Amendment 4 on abortion.

“We need to view this as an opportunity to protect a woman’s freedom and her choices, but also make sure people understand that Rick Scott, if re-elected, will push for a nationwide abortion ban,” Mucarsell-Powell said.