Submitted by Marc Caputo
Rocket scientist. Navy pilot. Black golf course owner. Brother of a legendary Miami rapper.
Stanley Campbell’s bio is diverse in every way. And now he’s making plans to add a new title: U.S. senator.
The Florida businessman is in talks with top Democrats to challenge former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell for the party’s nomination in the race to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Scott, a former Florida governor, The Messenger has learned. Last week, he and his allies formed a Senate committee and a Friends of Stanley Campbell political committee with the Federal Elections Commission.
“Mr. Campbell’s personal story alone makes him one of the most compelling, formidable potential U.S. Senate candidates in the country,” said Kevin Cate, a top Florida Democratic strategist, who has heard of Campbell calling around.
“If he’s able to compliment that with good fundraising and organizing, all of the sudden Democrats might actually have a chance to take down Rick Scott.”
Independently wealthy, Scott has won three statewide elections in a row in spare-no-expense campaigns characterized by strict message discipline. Registered Republicans also vastly outnumber registered Democrats in the state, making any effort to unseat a GOP incumbent difficult.
Campbell, 68, declined to comment. Campbell has a claim to pop fame as well because of brother Luther Campbell, the former 2 Live Crew rapper who put Miami on the hip hop map in the 1980s. They grew up in one of the poorest areas of Miami, Liberty City.
