FL Primary Election Results 2024: Scott Vs. Mucarsel-Powell For Senate

Updated at 8:18 p.m. ET

FLORIDA — Voters have decided on the nominees for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representative races in Tuesday’s primary election, with GOP incumbent Rick Scott winning his race to face former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat.

Scroll down for real-time results as they come in.

The Associated Press called Scott the winner in his primary election and Mucarsel-Powell the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate at 8 p.m.

Scott received about 84% of the vote with most results in. He issued a statement thanking voters who "showed the country that Florida is RED. We have received more votes than every Democrat candidate combined and are ready to deliver a big win in November.

“The most radical socialist ticket of my lifetime, consisting of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, seeks to fundamentally destroy the promise of freedom in America for generations to come. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has supported an open border, allowing criminals and drugs to flood our communities. She wants to give them amnesty and citizenship and let them vote in our elections," Scott said. "She has voted with self-proclaimed socialists like AOC and Ilhan Omar 93% of the time. Her record is clear, she is a socialist through and through.

“I grew up with a single mother in public housing and still had the honor of becoming the 45th Governor of Florida, and now serving you in the United States Senate. I am proof that the American dream is alive, and I intend to fight like hell to make sure it stays alive.”

Mucarsel-Powell has received about 69% of the Democratic votes Tuesday night. She issued a statement thanking supporters.

"This victory isn’t just mine – it belongs to so many who have stepped up to say that we deserve better here in Florida,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “From day one, this campaign has been about so much more than me. It’s about protecting our freedoms to make decisions about our own body, earn a good living off of one job, and retire with dignity. It’s about safeguarding our education, bringing good-paying jobs to Florida, and making sure our communities are safe from gun violence.

“My mother brought me to this country for the freedom and opportunities that our democracy provides. But extremist politicians like Rick Scott are robbing us of these very freedoms and opportunities. Rick Scott tried to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them, supports a national ban on abortion, and wants to raise taxes on the middle class," Mucarsel-Powell said. "Let me be clear — I am running to represent every single Floridian in this state. This goes beyond Republicans vs. Democrats – we’re all done with extremists who don’t have our backs, we all deserve better than Rick Scott, and in November, we will win.”

Firebrand GOP 1st District Congressman Matt Gaetz won his primary, despite work by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's political action committee to back a challenger to Gaetz. He is seeking a fifth term and was challenged by former Navy pilot Aaron Dimmock. Gaetz led the effort to oust McCarthy from his speakership.

The Associated Press began calling some of the Florida Congressional races shortly after the polls closed. All AP projections are unofficial results.

Democratic U.S. House Races

• Maxwell Frost wins in the 10th Congressional District.
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins the nomination for U.S. House in the 5th District.
• Jan Schneider wins in the 16th Congressional District.
• Sandy Kennedy wins in the 8th Congressional District.
• Whitney Fox wins in the 13th Congressional District.
• Jennifer Adams wins in the 7th Congressional District.
• Andrea Kale wins the nod in the 18th Congressional District.
• Whitney Fox wins in Florida's 13th Congressional District.
• Jennifer Adams wins in the 7th Congressional District.
• Sandy Kennedy wins in the 8th Congressional District.

Republican U.S. House Races

• Matt Gaetz wins the nomination for the 1st Congressional District.
• Willie Montague wins in 10th Congressional District.
• Robert Rochford wins in the 14th Congressional District.
• Thomas Chalifoux wins the 9th Congressional District.
• Neal Dunn wins in the 2nd Congressional District.
• Dan Franzese wins in the 22nd Congressional District.
• Chris Eddy wins in Florida's 25th Congressional District.
• Vern Buchanan wins in the 16th Congressional District.
• Laurel Lee wins in the 15th Congressional District.
• Maria Elvira Salazar wins in the 27th Congressional District.
• Brian Mast wins the 21st Congressional District.
• Daniel Webster won the 11th Congressional District.
• Cory Mills won the GOP primary for the 7th Congressional District.
• Michael Waltz wins the 6th Congressional District
• Mike Haridopolos won the 8th Congressional District.
• John Rutherford won the nomination in the 5th Congressional District.
• In the 26th District, Mario Diaz-Balart won.
• Kat Cammack is the nominee in the 3rd District.
• Gus Bilirakis won the 12th Congressional District.

Real Clear Politics said that an Aug. 14 poll on the Senate race by Florida Atlantic University
showed Scott in the lead with 47 percent of support to 43 percent for Mucarsel-Powell among likely voters.

“While Scott leads, there is increasing evidence that this race could be competitive in November,” Kevin Wagner, professor of political science and co-director of the PolCom Lab, said.

Scott, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, 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.

In the Democratic primary, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell led a field of four candidates in fundraising. Her main opponent was Phil Ehr, a retired Navy commander, who withdrew from the race in October to run for the House seat that Mucarsel-Powell lost to Republican Carlos Gimenez in 2020.

Scott served two terms as Florida governor from 2011-2019. According to his website, as governor he cut taxes each year of his term, saving Florida families and businesses more than $10 billion. He pushed legislation that required a two-thirds majority of the legislature to pass any increase, which voters supported when it became a constitutional amendment in 2018.

Scott said in May he would run for Senate Republican leader to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Florida voters also decided 30 contested House primaries. They include:

8th Congressional District to the east of Orlando, three Republicans and two Democrats sought to replace Republican Bill Posey, who is retiring after eight terms. Former state Senate President Mike Haridopolos is the best-known and best-funded candidate in the Republican field. He faces Joe Babits, an attorney and former Security and Exchange Commission official, and John Hearton, a former technology company executive.

The Democratic nominee will be either attorney Sandy Kennedy or Daniel McDown, a member of the West Melbourne city council. Trump carried the heavily Republican district twice with 58% of the vote.

Democrats and Republicans each held five contested state Senate primaries. Thirty-five state House primaries are contested. Half of Florida’s 40 state Senate seats and all 120 state House seats are up for election. Republicans hold more than 2-to-1 majorities in both chambers.

Florida's Shifting Voter Patterns

As of Wednesday, there were about 13.6 million registered voters in Florida. Of those, 32% were Democrats, 39% were Republicans and 26% were independents not affiliated with any party, the Associated Press said.

In the 2022 midterm elections, turnout was about 11% of registered voters in the Democratic primaries. About 72% of votes in that election were cast before primary day. Republicans did not have contested statewide primaries that year.

As of Friday, more than 1.6 million ballots had been cast before primary day, about 40% in the Democratic primary and 47% in the Republican primary. About three-quarters of the pre-primary day vote was cast by mail, with the remainder cast early in-person. Slightly more Democrats cast their votes by mail than Republicans, while Republicans cast roughly two-thirds of the early in-person vote. The early voting period began Aug. 10 and concludes Saturday.

REAL-TIME RESULTS FOR FLORIDA STATE SENATE RACES

Be sure to refresh this page for the latest results. Scroll through the table below to find results for each race. Can't see the widgets below? Click here for all results from Florida Election Watch

REAL-TIME RESULTS FOR FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Be sure to refresh this page for the latest results. Scroll through the table below to find results for each race. Can't see the widgets below? Click here for all results from Florida Election Watch

This story contains reporting from the Associated Press.