Rick Scott – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by lev radin
Phil Ehr, a former U.S. Navy officer who campaigned against Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in 2020 but lost, is now running to unseat U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. Ehr or any other Democrat will certainly face a tough road to defeat Scott. The former two-term governor of Florida is entering his first Senate reelection campaign with the benefit of experience and access to significant financial resources. Scott spent over $64 million of his own money for his first Senate campaign in 2018 to unseat outgoing Senator Bill Nelson. Scott already has $3 million in the bank that is available to be spent when he begins his reelection campaign.
Ehr, a conservative firebrand who represents a strongly red district in the Florida Panhandle, raised slightly more than $2 million to fight Gaetz in 2020. Gaetz finally triumphed in the contest by a margin of 30 percent. Ehr, a retired Navy commander, primarily emphasized his military experience when declaring his Senate race on Monday. A video published by his campaign highlights his 26 years in the Navy, which included deployments to the Balkans and Desert Storm. He claimed that more lately, he had been engaged in offering relief to the Ukrainian people. Scott was portrayed as a member of what Ehr referred to as “the axis of lies,” a group of Republican leaders who he claimed were involved in the dissemination of false material.
“Coward Rick Scott is. In the struggle for our rights, the truth, and our future, we cannot trust him,” Ehr declared in his announcement video. So duty once more calls. The calm before the storm is always the best. Additionally, Scott’s team released a poll from the progressive organization Change Research that indicates Scott may be more open to criticism than many political analysts had previously believed. Ehr won’t likely be the only reputable Democrat vying for the party’s nomination to take on Scott in 2024. Jennifer Jenkins, a member of the Brevard County School Board, and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell have also declared that they are thinking about running for the Senate.
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson submitted the necessary paperwork to run for Senate last month. Republican attorney and former assistant state attorney Keith Gross has also launched an improbable primary fight against Scott. The Miami Herald contacted Scott’s reelection campaign for comment over Ehr’s entry, but a representative did not answer right enough. However, Scott’s supporters don’t seem threatened by the senator’s fresh opponent. The majority leader of the Florida Democratic Party, Chuck Schumer, tweeted, “Best @chuckschumer and @FlaDems can do in #FLSen is a guy who lost a congressional race 2 cycles ago by 30 points,” alluding to Scott.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.