Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Deborah Mucarsel-Powell (/ˈmuːkɑːrsɛl/ MOO-kar-sell; born January 18, 1971) is an American politician and academic administrator who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 26th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented a district in the southern Miami-Dade County, including Homestead and the Florida Keys.

Mucarsel-Powell was the first Ecuadorian-American and first South American-born immigrant to serve as a member of the U.S. Congress. She was defeated in her 2020 reelection bid by Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Giménez. As a congresswoman, Mucarsel-Powell voiced support for ousting president Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and was part of a delegation that met with opposition leader Juan Guaidó when he visited the United States.

Before entering politics, Mucarsel-Powell worked for various nonprofits, including the Hope Center, Zoo Miami Foundation, and the Coral Restoration Foundation. She was the associate vice president for advancement and later an associate dean at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

In August 2023, Mucarsel-Powell announced she was running for the United States Senate in 2024 against incumbent Republican Rick Scott. She won the Democratic nomination for the seat on August 20, 2024, but lost to Scott in the general election by over 12 points.

Mucarsel-Powell was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and raised in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Imelda Gil and Guido Mucarsel Yunes. After her parents' divorce, she immigrated to the U.S. at age 14 with her mother and three sisters. She began working in a doughnut shop and continued to work to help support her family, who shared a one-bedroom apartment. In 1995, her father was shot to death outside of his home in Ecuador.

Mucarsel-Powell attended Pomona Catholic High School in Pomona, California, graduating in 1988. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Pitzer College in 1992 and a Master of Arts in international political economy from Claremont Graduate University in 1996.

Mucarsel-Powell worked for nonprofits, including the Hope Center, Zoo Miami Foundation, and the Coral Restoration Foundation. She worked in fundraising for Florida International University (FIU) and was the associate vice president for advancement at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Mucarsel-Powell volunteered for the presidential campaigns of John Kerry and Barack Obama. In 2016, she ran unsuccessfully against Anitere Flores for the Florida Senate.