Val Demings will join race to face Marco Rubio in 2022
Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge
Sen. Marco Rubio next year, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive race that could be among a handful that determine control of the Senate, according to two people with knowledge of the plans.
The move ends mounting speculation over the Orlando congresswoman’s political future. She had been considering a run for governor in Florida but may have faced a divisive primary against Rep. Charlie Crist, who has already joined that race. In focusing on the Senate, Demings could quickly become a front-runner among Democrats and tap into a national network of fundraisers to help finance what will likely be an expensive campaign.
In a tweet, Demings said she was “humbled at the encouraging messages” that she has seen on Tuesday and confirmed she’s “seriously considering a run for the Senate.”
First elected to Congress in 2016, the national profile for the 64-year-old Demings has rapidly expanded. She was an impeachment manager during the first trial against President Donald Trump and was considered a leading contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate. As the first female police chief in Orlando, she is particularly appealing to some Democrats for her experience as a Black woman with a background in law enforcement.
Her plans were first reported by Politico.
While Demings’ entrance in the race will attract attention, Rubio is still a formidable candidate. Elected during the tea-party wave of 2010, he easily won reelection in 2016. Florida, meanwhile, has steadily trended in favor of Republicans. After twice backing Barack Obama, the state swung to
Trump in 2016. Trump added to his margin last year, carrying the state by more than 3 percentage points and making inroads with some Latino voters, who dominate politics in Florida’s southern tip.
Rubio wouldn’t comment specifically on a
Demings challenge but said Tuesday he welcomed the campaign.
“Democrats are going to run somebody,” he said on Capitol Hill. “They’ll have a primary and someone will come out of their primary. We look forward to comparing their record to ours, what I stand for to what they stand for.”