Dem Challenger in Florida District Counting on Women, Millennials
*By Carlo Versano*
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat seeking to unseat a Republican incumbent in Florida's 26th congressional district, wants the election in November to be a referendum on healthcare.
In a district with more than 100,000 families relying on Obamacare, "the top issue continues to be healthcare" Mucarsel-Powell said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
Mucarsel-Powell is challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo in an area that includes Key West and a chunk of Miami-Dade ー and went for Hillary Clinton over President Trump by double-digits in 2016.
Curbelo, a Republican who votes with Trump 82 percent of time time according to Nate Silver's [FiveThirtyEight](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/carlos-curbelo/), is leading in the [polls](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article216729815.html), though Mucarsel-Powell is hoping that an activated base of female and millennial voters will encourage a blue wave so Democrats can take the House in November.
But Mucarsel-Powell continues to be plagued by a report earlier this summer published in [The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/shady-oligarchs-firm-paid-dem-candidates-husband-dollar700000?ref=author) that claimed her husband, attorney Robert Powell, has financial ties to a Ukrainian oligarch.
Her husband "has absolutely no relationship to the person they're claiming he does," Muscarsel-Powell said, likely referring to Ihor Kolomoisky, a wealthy Ukrainian businessman who has been accused of [contract killings and embezzlement](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article214974800.html).
For now, Mucarsel-Powell is staying focused on healthcare ー largely to protect her female constituents.
"Women have had enough of this administration, of looking at these images of men making decisions when it comes to their healthcare," she said.
For full interview, [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/flipping-south-florida-could-be-an-uphill-battle-for-democrats).
Catching you up on the stories you need to know this morning, the U.S. could soon get its first major gun safety law in years, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. capitol holds its second hearing, and today might just be the day the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, and decides on new gun laws.
U.S. stocks closed Thursday at their lowest levels of the trading day, as investors continue to eye inflation ahead of the May CPI report out Friday. Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist for National Holdings, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The PGA has suspended 17 golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, who are competing in a Saudi-backed golf event outside of London. In a memo, commissioner Jay Monahan said "these players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons", announcing they are ineligible to participate on the PGA tour or any other tours it sanctions. Hugh Kellenberger, Senior Managing Editor at the Athletic, breaks down the controversy, and what might happen next.
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
