Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Debbie Jessika Mucarsel-Powell (born January 18, 1971) is an Ecuadorian-born American politician and academic administrator who served as a U.S. representative for from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, her district covered the western part of Miami-Dade County, including Homestead, as well as the Florida Keys. Mucarsel-Powell was the first Ecuadorian American and first South American-born immigrant to serve as a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Congress. Murcarsel-Powell was defeated in her 2020 re-election bid by Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Giménez. Early life  and education. Mucarsel-Powell was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and raised in Miami, the daughter of Imelda Gil and Guido Mucarsel Yunes. Mucarsel-Powell immigrated to the United States when she was 14 years old, with her mother and three older 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. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Pitzer College and a Master of Arts in international political economy from Claremont Graduate University . Earlier career. Mucarsel-Powell worked for non-profits like the Hope Center, Zoo Miami Foundation, and the Coral Restoration Foundation. From 2003 to 2007, she served as the director of development at Florida International University (FIU). She was the associate vice president for advancement at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine from 2007 to 2011. Mucarsel-Powell became an associate dean 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. Elections . In August 2017, Mucarsel-Powell announced she would challenge Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in of the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 elections. She defeated veteran Demetries Grimes in the Democratic Party primary election, receiving 63.5% of the vote. In the November 6 general election, Mucarsel-Powell defeated Curbelo, receiving 50.9% of the vote, becoming the first Ecuadorian-born person to be elected to the United States Congress and the first woman to represent Florida's 26th congressional district. Mucarsel-Powell was defeated for re-election by the Republican nominee, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez. Tenure . On December 18, 2019, Mucarsel-Powell voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Committee assignments. Source: Clerk of the House of Representatives Post-congressional career. In April 2021, Mucarsel-Powell joined Giffords as a senior adviser, with the goal of lobbying the U.S. Senate to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. Personal life. Mucarsel-Powell is of Ecuadorian and Lebanese ancestry. When she was 24 years old, her father was killed outside of his home in Ecuador by a gunman. She and her husband, Robert Powell, have three children.