Val Demings has plans to take on Marco Rubio in the Florida Senate race in 2022.
What We Know:
- Democratic Rep. Val Demings is a former Orlando police chief who rose to national prominence for being Donald Trump’s impeachment manager. Demings would provide Democrats with a top-tier candidate in one of the United State’s swing states. Demings was also considered to be Joe Biden’s running mate as vice president. She almost ran for governor but felt she could be most effective running against Marco Rubio.
- Demings first hinted at her plans on The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart. She revealed that people are asking her to run for Senate because they feel underrepresented and unheard. Demings is expected to make her final decisions in the upcoming weeks. Democrats believe that with Demings as a candidate, she can speak on issues of policing and criminal justice reform. A democratic advisor stated, “Val is an impressive and formidable candidate whose potential entrance would make the race against Rubio highly competitive.”
- Rubio is a two-term senator who was first elected in 2010. He was re-elected in 2016 after he also ran for president that year. On the other hand, Demings was first elected to the House that same year.
- She represents the 10th Congressional district and sits on the Judiciary, Intelligence, and Homeland Security committees. Demings was a law enforcement officer with the Orlando Police Department for 27 years. She served as chief of police from 2007 to 2011. Her husband, Jerry Demings, also served as chief of Orlando’s police. He currently serves as the Mayor of Orange County, which is one of the fastest-growing localities in Central Florida.
While other Democrats have declared their candidacies in the race, Demings is notably the most high-profile contender to take on Marco Rubio.
