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Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Deborah Mucarsel-Powell 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.

Early life and education
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. 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. == Early career ==
Early career
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. == U.S. House of Representatives ==
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2018 for Florida's 26th congressional district In August 2017, Mucarsel-Powell announced she would challenge Republican representative Carlos Curbelo in of the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 elections. She defeated Demetries Grimes in the Democratic Party primary election with 63.5% of the vote. In the November 6 general election, Mucarsel-Powell defeated Curbelo with 50.9% of the vote, becoming the first Ecuadorian-born person to be elected to Congress and the first woman to represent Florida's 26th congressional district. 2020 In the prelude to the 2020 elections, Mucarsel-Powell's seat was included as a target of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Her Republican opponent, Carlos A. Giménez, was then the mayor of Miami-Dade County, and was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Mucarsel-Powell lost to Giménez, with 48.6% of the vote to Giménez's 51.3%. Tenure at the 2020 State of the Union Within the first month of her tenure, Mucarsel-Powell introduced a bill to provide the people of Venezuela with humanitarian aid amid the ongoing socioeconomic crisis, which had worsened with the presidential crisis beginning in January 2019. She voiced support for ousting president Nicolás Maduro and recognizing the transitional government led by assembly speaker Juan Guaidó. Mucarsel-Powell was among a delegation of House Democrats that met with Guaidó when he visited the U.S. in February 2020. On December 18, 2019, Mucarsel-Powell voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Committee assignments Source: • Committee on the JudiciarySubcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland SecuritySubcommittee on Immigration and CitizenshipCommittee on Transportation and InfrastructureSubcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency ManagementSubcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Caucus memberships • Congressional Animal Protection Caucus • Congressional Hispanic CaucusCongressional LGBT Equality CaucusCongressional Progressive CaucusNew Democrat Coalition ==Post-congressional career==
Post-congressional career
In April 2021, Mucarsel-Powell joined Giffords as a senior adviser, intending to lobby the U.S. Senate to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. She was appointed the Executive Director of the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management on September 1, 2025. 2024 U.S. Senate campaign Mucarsel-Powell announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate in August 2023, challenging incumbent Republican Rick Scott. She lost the general election, receiving 42.8% of the vote to Scott's 55.6%. == Post-congressional career ==
Post-congressional career
On September 1, 2025, she was named executive director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. == Personal life ==
Personal life
Mucarsel-Powell is of Ecuadorian and Lebanese ancestry and is a Roman Catholic. When she was 24 years old, a gunman killed her father outside his home in Ecuador. She and her husband, Robert Powell, have three children. ==Electoral history==
Electoral history
2016 2018 2020 2024 ==See also==
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