A member of Florida Senator Rick Scott's campaign refused to say whether he will accept the outcome of the upcoming elections, as he faces an increasingly challenging race against Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
The refusal came in the context of a campaign stop in Pinecrest, where Scott made a misleading claim about President Joe Biden's stance regarding the controversial elections in Venezuela.
"We just had an election stolen in Venezuela. So what did Biden say? 'Oh, we should have a new election,'" said Scott. "Well, I didn't like the election in 2020 in the United States. Could we get a new election?"
Scott was seemingly making reference to a mix-up by Biden, where he said "I do" when apparently consulted if he would support a re-do of the Venezuelan elections, as proposed by Brazil and Colombia, two power brokers in the region.
The answer catalyzed immediate reactions across the region given the departure from the country's current stance, which has been to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of the elections.
A few hours later, a National Security Council issued a clarification. Speaking on background, the person said: "The president was speaking to the absurdity of Maduro and his representatives not coming clean about the July 28 elections. It is abundantly clear to the majority of the Venezuelan people, the United States, and a growing number of countries that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes on July 28. The United States again call for the will of the Venezuelan people to be respected and for discussions to begin on a transition back to democratic norms."
Scott didn't make reference to the clarification, making it seem like the Biden administration's official stance was to support new elections in the beleaguered country. The senator has also suggested noncitizens will vote en masse in future elections if Democrats win the presidential elections in November.
Speaking to Axios, a campaign spokesperson refused to confirm that the senator will accept the outcome of the elections: "Senator Scott has always said his goal is 100 percent voter participation and 0 percent fraud," said Will Hampson.
The latest poll shows that Scott continues to hold a lead over Democrats' Mucarsel-Powell, albeit a smaller than the one before. The survey, conducted by Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research USA shows Scott with 47% of the support among likely voters, compared to Mucarsel-Powell's 43%. An additional 6% of voters said they are still undecided, a group that could prove to be crucial come November.
The figure compares to the last poll tracked by FiveThirtyEight. Conducted in August by McLaughlin & Associates among 800 likely voters, it had Scott with a 10-point advantage.
Mucarsel-Powell is the only Latina currently vying for a U.S. Senate seat and is trying to beat the incumbent Governor in a state in which the GOP holds a 1 million lead over democrats when it comes to registered voters. Republicans currently control the governor's office, both houses of the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and 18 of 30 congressional districts.
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