Florida Rep. Val Demings is reportedly planning to run for the U.S. Senate, challenging Sen. Marco Rubio.
Instead of running for governor, which she had considered, she “decided she would do the most good by competing against a two-term senator,” Politico reports.
The aide said Demings, who has been increasingly critical of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, ultimately became more frustrated with Senate Republicans led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and their “obstruction.”
“If I had to point out one thing, I think it’s the Covid bill and the way Republicans voted against it for no good reason,” the aide said. “It really helped push her over the edge. She had this massive fight with her too [Ohio Republican Rep.] Jim Jordan, and that highlighted it. That fight is in Washington, and that’s the right fight that she should continue to fight.”
The aide left Demings some room to change course, saying there was a “98.6 percent chance” she would ultimately challenge Rubio. By running for Senate, Demings leaves the governorship to Republican Charlie Crist and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is expected to announce her candidacy soon. […]
Demings’ plans could put her on a crash course with three other Orlando-area Democrats: Republican Stephanie Murphy, former Republican Alan Grayson and former prosecutor Aramis Ayala. (Political)
.@NBCNews confirms a Politico report that Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., plans to run for the Florida Senate seat currently held by Sen. Marco Rubio, D-Fla., who is running for re-election in 2022. — @mmurraypolitics
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) May 18, 2021
Demings, elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, previously served as Orlando’s first Black police chief, helping her become a front-runner to be President Biden’s running mate.
While that experience made her an ideal Democratic voice on police reform and race, earlier “Polityka” report. “during her tenure, there was widespread dissatisfaction with her response to incidents of brutality.”
Demings’ final decision could come as early as June.
