Florida primary will set US Senate race but largely focus on state and local races

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Compared with the wild twists and turns of the presidential election, Florida’s primary Tuesday will be relatively tame. The only statewide race on the ballot is for the Senate seat held by Republican Rick Scott, who will learn who he’ll face in November.

Local races will be the main motivator to get people to the polls, including school board seats as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes for conservatives to win seats in several districts.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the Florida primary:

U.S. Senate

While Scott technically has a primary, he is expected to win easily over two minor candidates with little name identification or money. He has the power of incumbency along with the backing of his party and has already spent about $27 million on his reelection, including millions of his personal money.

The leading candidate in the Democratic primary is former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who in 2018 became the first Ecuadorian American and first South American born woman elected to Congress. She lost her seat after one term.

Mucarsel-Powell has the backing of party leaders and has raised $12 million for the race. Scott is already campaigning as if she will be his opponent, but she first faces Navy veteran and businessman Stanley Campbell, Army veteran and businessman Rod Joseph and Brian Rush, a former four-term Florida state representative.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> College football begins next weekend with No. 10