Valdez Demings has served as the Representative for the 10th Congressional District of Florida since 2017.
- She hasn’t even said that she’s running, but there’s already buzz about the potential Senate run of Florida Representative Val Demings.
- Demings entered the spotlight in the United States in 2016, when she won her seat in the US House of Representatives.
- In her four years as a Representative, Demings has become a star within the Democratic Party and someone who many believe can shift votes away from the Republican Party.
- So if she does decide to run for the Senate in 2022 – a possibility one of her advisers told Politico had a “98.6 percent chance” of happening – she would take on current Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
- That would set up one of the highest profile races of the midterm elections and might even decide which party controls the Senate.
Who is Val Demings?
- Valdez Demings has served as the Representative for the 10th Congressional District of Florida since 2017, having won reelection in both the 2018 midterms and in 2020.
- Born in 1957 in Jacksonville, Florida, Demings studied criminology in college, graduating in 1979. In 1996, she completed a master’s of public administration.
- After graduating, Demings served as a police officer with the Orlando Police Department (OPD) for nearly three decades and also worked as a social worker.
- Before her retirement from law enforcement in 2011, Demings was the police chief for the OPD, the first Black woman to hold that role in the city.
Can Demings beat Rubio?
- Democrats certainly seem to think so!
- All this talk about Demings’ possible Senate run has really made Democrats and liberals excited and many of them believe she could win.
- That’s because Demings has become something of a major figure in the party. Her rise from poverty has also given her a story that many in Florida and across the country can relate to and sympathize with.
- As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Demings raised her profile in a number of various investigations, including one into the big tech companies.
- Demings was also one of the House Managers who brought the case against former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial.
- President Joe Biden reportedly even considered picking Demings as his vice president, before ultimately choosing then-Senator Kamala Harris.
But Demings isn’t running yet?
- After it was reported by multiple outlets and across Twitter that Demings was considering running for Senate, Demings responded on Twitter on May 18.
- “I’m humbled at the encouraging messages I’m seeing today … I’m seriously considering a run for the Senate. Stay tuned.”
- Demings still has plenty of time to decide if she will run for the Senate in 2022, but those close to her are confident that she will.
- After initially opposing Trump’s presidential run, Rubio, who has been in the Senate since 2011, became a staunch supporter of Trump during his presidency.
- He’s considered a central figure in the future of the GOP.
- Demings was apparently considering a run for Florida governor – to take on current Republican governor, Ron DeSantis – but has instead set her sights on Rubio’s seat.
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