Democratic Florida Rep. Val Demings has officially launched her Senate campaign to challenge incumbent Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the 2022 midterm elections.
Demings made the announcement early Wednesday morning in a three-minute-long video posted on her Twitter account, The Hill reported. “When you grow up in the South, poor, black, and female, you have to have faith in progress and opportunity,” Demings said in the opening of the promotional video before talking about her family.
I’m running for U.S. Senate because I will never tire of standing up for what is right. Never tire of serving Florida. Never tire of doing good.
Join my campaign today: https://t.co/rHVPBuSzKU pic.twitter.com/HuWB80Mrxh
— Val Demings (@valdemings) June 9, 2021
Demings then touted her accomplishments while serving as the Orlando Chief of Police, specifically citing decreasing crime rates during her tenure from 2007 to 2011.
“I’m never tired of representing Florida. Not for one single moment,” she said before taking a shot at former President Donald Trump and Congress. (RELATED: Ivanka Trump Told Rubio She Will Not Challenge Him For Senate)
The congresswoman then briefly attacked Rubio, adding that “some” Senators were preferring “the same old tired ways of doing business,” and were using “tired talking points.”
“I’m running for the United States Senate because of two simple words: ‘Never Tire,'” Demings said at the end of the video.
Democratic Rep. Val Demings announces challenge to GOP Sen. Marco Rubio https://t.co/S0dUPgt3G8
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) June 9, 2021
Demings has also dismissed attacks from Rubio, who claimed that she was a socialist, and told the Sun Sentential that she “was not” a socialist and “desperate people will do desperate things.”
“Marco’s contrast with Val Demings could not be greater because she has no record of results for Florida.” The Rubio campaign said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“Since coming to Washington, she has voted with Nancy Pelosi nearly 100% of the time. She supported efforts to defund the police, opposed tax relief for working families, and led the effort to put Washington in charge of Florida’s elections. Florida deserves a Senator with a proven track record of fighting, and winning, for Florida families.” The statement read in part.
The representative had previously mulled a senate run last month but had also been interested in running against Republican Florida Go. Ron DeSantis in 2022. However, Demings was encouraged by national Democrats that she would “do the most good” running for Senate.