Rep. Val Demings Wins Florida U.S. Senate Primary, Will Face Marco Rubio In November
Val Demings, the former Orlando police chief-turned U.S. Representative, demolished her Democratic Party opponents in Tuesday’s Primary elections, bringing in an overwhelming 85% of the vote. WIth the defeat of three opponents, including former state Rep. Brian Rush, she now faces Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in November.
Heavily favored to become the Democratic nominee, after declaring victory, Demings, who was once on President Biden’s shortlist for vice presidential choices, focused on the incumbent Rubio, tweeting
"Florida, we did it!" "We won the primary; now it's time to #RetireRubio!”
The congresswoman has also proven herself a formidable fundraiser. The New York Daily News reports her campaign took in nearly $50 million ahead of the primary and outspending her opponents by a factor of 170 to 1.
In a state that has voted in a Republican president and governor in its last elections, Demings, along with former governor Charlie Crist who is attempting to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis, is seeking to bring out Democratic voters to turn the tide.
Rubio is still favored to win the election but Demings has been trending higher than him in the polls.
A poll released by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Demings garnering support from 48 percent of the surveyed registered voters who said they would vote in the midterm elections. Comparatively, the incumbent Rubio received 44 percent support, while seven percent said they’d choose someone else.
