*Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to run for the U.S. Senate, taking on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio next year.
“I would’ve supported her running for governor, but this is the right fit for her and for us,” said former Florida chief financial officer Alex Sink. “She’s going to draw a contrast between who she is and how she represents Florida vs. Marco Rubio, who a lot of people where I live never see him.”
Here’s more from Politico:
Demings, 64, was first elected to the House in 2016 from Orlando and held the distinction of being the city’s first Black woman police chief. She rose to national prominence as the only non-lawyer on the first House impeachment committee to charge President Donald Trump with wrongdoing. As a Black woman and law enforcement officer, her background made her uniquely situated to be a national Democratic spokesperson for policing and race issues — it helped catapult her to President Joe Biden’s shortlist as a possible running mate in 2020.
A top adviser to Demings compared her personal biography to Rubio this way: “She’s the daughter of a maid and a janitor who became the first Black woman police chief in Orlando. He’s the son of a maid and a bartender who’s a career politician.”
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The GOP has gone all-in on the Big Lie. Let’s be clear: our democracy is what keeps us safe, prosperous, and free. Attacks on our democracy are an attack on you and your family.
— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) May 19, 2021
According to the report, the adviser noted that Demings became increasingly frustrated with the GOP under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and their “obstruction.”
“If I had to point to one thing, I think it’s the Covid bill and the way Republicans voted against it for no good reason,” the adviser said. “That really helped push her over the edge. She also had this huge fight with [Ohio Republican Rep.] Jim Jordan and it brought that into focus. This fight is in Washington and it’s the right fight for her to continue.”
The adviser said there was a “98.6 percent chance” that Demings will ultimately challenge Rubio by running for Senate.
“Val is an impressive and formidable candidate whose potential entrance would make the race against Rubio highly competitive,” said a national Democrat with knowledge of the party’s strategy on Senate races, per the Politico report.
“Demings was one of the first Democrats we backed when we were formed in 2016 and since that point, she’s been a rising star in politics,” said Quentin James founder and executive director of The Collective PAC. “We came very close with (Andrew) Gillum,” James said. “But now we’re back with a really great candidate. We’re going to do all the things. It’s not either or, not just TV or field. We’re doing both.”
Unlike Gillum, Demings is more moderate, “so Republicans can’t call her a socialist,” James said.
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