ORLANDO, Fla. — The race to decide who will represent the state of Florida in the U.S. Senate will change significantly after Tuesday's voting. Current Sen. Rick Scott is facing two challengers on the Republican side, and the Democratic side has four contenders eager to switch the seat to blue in November.

What You Need To Know

  • Stanley Campbell, Rod Joseph, Debbie Murcarsel-Powell and Brian Rush are all vying for votes in the Democratic primary

  • Sen. Rick Scott faces a challenge from John Columbus and Keith Gross

There are several Democratic candidates vying to win in Tuesday’s primary. Stanley Campbell, Rod Joseph, Debbie Murcarsel-Powell and Brian Rush are all vying for votes on the left side of the aisle.

For the Republican side, Scott is facing a challenge from Attorney Keith Gross and John Columbus.

Mucarsel-Powell is largely seen as the front-runner in this Democratic primary. She has the support of much of the state party establishment, and she has raised the most money out of the four Democratic candidates.

Mucarsel-Powell served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, after beating a Republican in a Miami-area district that often goes to the GOP. She came to the U.S. from Ecuador when she was 14, and was the first South American-born person to serve in the U.S. House.

Mucarsel-Powell has largely focused her campaign message on Scott, hitting on topics such as Medicare, social security and women’s reproductive care.

“Rick Scott has been very clear. He supports the six-week abortion ban, he has co-sponsored a national abortion ban, he voted against access to contraception and IVF. Some of the most extreme policies against women,” said Mucarsel-Powell.

Mucarsel-Powell also wants to focus on gun safety legislation. She lost her father to gun violence, and has met with victims and families of the Parkland school shooting and Pulse nightclub shootings.

One of the Democrats she’s facing off against, Stanley Campbell, is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He says he would push common sense gun reform after being severely injured in a shooting during college. Abortion is another issue that hits home for him. He says his wife had to have an abortion after a medical complication with their twins.

“She lost one because it was ectopic,” said Campbell. “She would not be here, and I would not have my son, which only had a 10% chance of survival, because she got the surgery. And he made it because she got the quality healthcare that would not be available to her in Florida today.”

Campbell and Mucarsel-Powell have both been traveling across the state, and both say they’ve been working to get support from not just Democrats, but also Republicans.

Fighting to make sure that doesn’t happen is Scott, who spent his day in Chicago, making his case for former President Donald Trump.

Scott is facing two Central Florida men who want his job.

John Columbus is in the entertainment industry. He calls himself a moderate Republican.

Then there’s attorney and business owner Keith Gross. He’s been on his freedom bus tour talking to voters. He calls himself a conservative activist. Both Gross and Columbus say it’s time for Rick Scott to go.

“He has a track record a mile and I’m not here to play dirty politics. I want to run a clean campaign. I think it’s just time for Rick Scott to retire,” Columbus said.

But Scott wants another six years. He’s been in the U.S. Senate ever since his narrow victory against then-Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018. He was in Hillsborough County just this weekend, encouraging people to go to the polls.

“I’m excited. You know we’re seeing people get out to vote. I’ve been traveling the state. I hit every county and you can talk about every county but Hillsborough County. People are energized,” Scott said.

Scott has outspent his opponents and with the support of Trump, he is considered a front runner in the primary.