IT’S ON

Val Demings Plotting Florida Senate Run to Take Down Marco Rubio, Says Report

Demings is reportedly “98.6 percent” sure that she wants to run for the Senate rather than the Florida governorship.

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) is planning to face off against Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in a blockbuster Senate election battle next year, according to Politico. The site reports that Demings has been weighing up whether run for governor or for the Senate, and has ultimately decided that she’s well-placed to defeat Rubio in 2022. Her team already appears to be confident that she can win over Floridians against the senator, with one unnamed adviser commenting: “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.” The adviser said there’s a “98.6 percent chance” that Demings will run for the Senate, and she’s expected to make her final call by the end of next month. The anonymous staffer said the obstruction of Senate Republicans has helped to make up her mind, explaining: “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.”