House Democratic leader not running for Rick Scott’s U.S. Senate seat

By Lydia Nusbaum

Published Aug. 21, 2023, 1:25 p.m. ET | Updated Aug. 21, 2023

Florida State Rep. Fentrice Driskell.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, announced she would not challenge U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for his seat in 2024.

“After giving it a lot of thought, I have realized that my work in the FL House is not done yet,” Driskell said on social media.

The Florida House minority leader had told NBC News on Monday morning that she is not running.

The outlet reported that Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will be the party’s likely nominee against Scott.

“And when DeSantis loses the GOP primary & returns his attention to focus where he can do more damage, we need to be ready,” Driskell said. “As Minority Leader, I will continue to lead in this fight.”

Florida Democrats have clashed with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda frequently since he took office.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, the two differed on how to address property insurance and educational topics such as limiting gender ideology in the classroom.

Scott was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. He served two terms as Florida governor prior.