AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rick Scott ‘s bid for renomination for a second Senate term tops the list of races that Florida voters will decide in Tuesday’s primary.

Scott is heavily favored against challengers John Columbus, an actor and former Walt Disney World performer, and Keith Gross, an attorney who twice ran for Georgia’s state House as a Democrat but now supports Donald Trump.

Gross said in a 2023 interview that he was prepared to spend $20 million to $30 million of his own money to unseat Scott. Federal campaign finance records indicate that Gross loaned or donated his campaign $2.4 million and had about $13,000 in the bank as of July 31. Scott had nearly $3.9 million in the bank and raised more than $30 million over the course of the campaign. Columbus trailed far behind both candidates in campaign funding.

In the Democratic primary, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell leads a field of four candidates in fundraising. Powell’s main opponent was Phil Ehr, a retired Navy commander, but he withdrew from the race in October. Ehr is now running for the House seat that Mucarsel-Powell lost to Republican Carlos Gimenez in 2020.

Mucarsel-Powell has raised $14.4 million and began the month with $4.4 million in the bank, far ahead of any of her remaining primary opponents.

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