Even as a major challenger has emerged against her, a South Florida congresswoman has taken a leadership post to push more gun control.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., was appointed vice chair of House Democrats’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Besides being a survivor of gun violence herself, Mucarsel-Powell lost her father to gun violence.
“Gun violence continues to be an epidemic in this country that causes trauma and heartache every day. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of my father and what a wonderful grandfather he would have been to my children if he had not lost his life to gun violence,” said Mucarsel-Powell last week. “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in my new role as vice chair and bringing attention to the difficulties that survivors, like myself, and our families, friends and communities experience in the aftermath of gun violence trauma.”
“Since coming to Congress, Rep. Mucarsel-Powell has been a passionate and outspoken voice in our fight to help prevent gun violence. I am honored to have her as a colleague and to appoint her to join our leadership on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., who chairs the task force. “Together we will continue our fight to pass legislation in honor of lives lost like those in her family and of those communities forever changed by gun violence.”
In the meantime, after Mucarsel-Powell beat U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., in 2018, the GOP has hoped to find a strong candidate to take her on in 2020. While former Metro-Dade Firefighters Union President Omar Blanco, engineer and frequent candidate Jose Peixoto and business owner Irina Vilarino had been running for the Republican nomination, a prominent South Florida Republican has increasingly made noises about getting in. Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is expected to enter the race and challenge Mucarsel-Powell.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
