Senate Candidate Val Demings

(D-Florida)

V4P Endorsed Candidate 

Val Demings is seeking election for a first term and challenging Sen. Marco Rubio

Demings’ Membership in Under-Represented Communities: Black, Woman

Long before she would become Orlando’s first female Chief of Police, Val Butler Demings learned from her parents about the American Dream. They didn’t have much: two parents and seven children in a small wood-framed house in Jacksonville.

Chief Demings served 27 years and at every rank level in the department. She commanded the Special Operations division and handled the department’s highest-profile tasks. She coordinated the response of the Airport Division on 9/11. In 2007, she made history when she was appointed to serve as the city’s first female Chief of Police.

The eyes of the city were on her. The financial crisis was squeezing budgets. But by taking the tough fights head-on, she did more with less, kept officers on the street, and crushed violent crime, reducing it by 40%. 

Her record in Congress and in law enforcement has been central in her messaging when introducing herself to voters. Through events and her campaign she has highlighted her law enforcement career as Rubio positions himself as the law and order candidate. Her campaign is allocating a significant portion of their funds to Google, Facebook, mail, and email ads to support their small-donor strategy to win statewide. She has also launched ads on Youtube to reach more voters. Recent ads have detailed her upbringing and her career in law enforcement and Congress as the inspiration for her Senate run. She has also been using ads to highlight the poor governance of Sen. Rubio. In March, her campaign released an ad tying Sen. Rubio to the income tax proposal that Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, recently released. Scott is suggesting to raise income taxes on millions of Americans as a campaign strategy for the GOP. In June, Demings released her first TV ad to highlight her law enforcement background and distance from the defund police movement. The ad will also air in Spanish. Additionally, in June, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Demings released a digital ad and website that highlights Sen. Rubio’s anti-abortion stances.

In 2016, Chief Demings was elected by the voters of Florida’s 10th District to serve in Congress. She swiftly gained a reputation as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, and the American Dream that had given her a chance to succeed. She gained widespread acclaim for her conduct as a deliberative and justice-focused impeachment manager during the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. She currently sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House Judiciary Committee, House Homeland Security Committee. Demings also serves as the Chair of the Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Subcommittee. 

Rep. Val Demings and her husband Jerry Demings (currently serving as Mayor of Orange County) have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren. 

Demings is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Florida. The Florida Democratic primary will be held on August 23, 2022. There are three other democrats running in the August primary, yet Demings is expected to easily earn the nomination. Meanwhile, incumbent Marco Rubio (R) has secured the Republican nomination since no other Republicans joined the race.

Polling:

A poll released on October 21 from Florida Atlantic University showed GOP Sen. Marco Rubio leading Democratic Representative Val Demings by 6 points, 48-42. 

A poll released in early October by Clarity Campaign Labs for Florida Watch and Progress Florida found Demings (D) and Sen.Marco Rubio tied at 46-46. Another poll released in early October as well, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, found that Rubio had a six-point advantage over Demings, 47-41. The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, shows the race has not really changed dramatically since February when Mason-Dixon released a poll for this race that found Rubio with a seven-point lead. However, the poll of 800 voters was conducted between Sept. 26 through Sept. 28, which is the same day Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida.

In July, a poll conducted and released by nonpartisan political action committee Center Street PAC, revealed Rubio ahead of Demings by 45% to 40% among Florida voters, with 16% undecided. However the poll reveals a significant shift in favor of Demings, who had a 13% increase compared to the poll Center Street PAC conducted in March. Their March poll saw Rubio ahead of Demings by 49% to 35%. 

In May, a poll sponsored by Giffords PAC and conducted by Public Policy Polling, found Rubio leading Demings 47% to 41%. A poll released in February of 2022 conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research found Marco Rubio leading Val Demings 49 percent to 42 percent, while 9 percent of voters in the poll were undecided between the two. The survey showed Rubio leading by wide margins among Hispanic voters and men over 50 years old. However, Demings holds a strong lead among Black voters and women. The poll showed that 95% of registered voters recognized Rubio’s name and 68% were familiar with Demings, showing that there is room to grow in her numbers as voters learn more about her. Additionally, the poll showed Rubio leading in all regions of Florida, except the southeast, where Demings has a 53%-40% lead. 

Notably, Rubio has not gotten to 50% in any of these surveys.

Demings’ Campaign Plan:

Growing up the daughter of a maid and a janitor in a small-wooden house with six siblings in Jacksonville, Demings has seen firsthand the opportunities Florida can provide. After serving twenty-seven years as a law enforcement officer and as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police, Demings was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. While in Congress, she has built a reputation for holding officials accountable and being instrumental in bringing billions of dollars to Florida. She is running for the U.S. Senate in Florida to bring back the opportunities she once had. 

 Having successfully cleared the Senate primary of heavyweight competition, Demings has focused her campaign on the general election and defeating Sen. Rubio. She plans to travel throughout the state to hear from all voters. She hopes her personal story and why she is running will resonate. Mobilizing voters throughout the state is a vital component of her campaign strategy. In March, her campaign announced a $3 million investment in One Future Florida’s Bilingual Coordinated Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to build the infrastructure for Democrats to deliver their message in every community through early and comprehensive canvassing. Following the investment, Demings launched Todos Con Demings, the campaign’s bilingual Hispanic outreach effort to reach Hispanic voters across Florida. Demings campaign is aware that in 2020, more Latinx voters in Florida supported Trump than in 2016—close to doubling in some counties. Political strategists believe that Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, will benefit from this. 

Demings was inspired to launch her campaign on the notion to make the American Dream accessible and affordable to all. She has hit the campaign trail to hear from communities on how to achieve this goal. She committed to a three-day accountability tour throughout South and Southwest Florida to hear directly from small business owners, workers, and community leaders. She recognizes the detrimental implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of a comprehensive response from Sen. Rubio will mobilize voters who believe Rubio doesn’t truly represent Floridians. The issues she is hearing the most from voters are based around COVID-19 safety, vaccines, and public safety.

Her record in Congress and in law enforcement has been central in her messaging when introducing herself to voters. Through events and her campaign she has highlighted her law enforcement career as Rubio positions himself as the law and order candidate. Her campaign is allocating a significant portion of their funds to Google, Facebook, mail, and email ads to support their small-donor strategy to win statewide. She has also launched ads on Youtube to reach more voters. Recent ads have detailed her upbringing and her career in law enforcement and Congress as the inspiration for her Senate run. She has also been using ads to highlight the poor governance of Sen. Rubio. In March, her campaign released an ad tying Sen. Rubio to the income tax proposal that Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, recently released. Scott is suggesting to raise income taxes on millions of Americans as a campaign strategy for the GOP. In June, Demings released her first TV ad to highlight her law enforcement background and distance from the defund police movement. The ad will also air in Spanish. Additionally, in June, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Demings released a digital ad and website that highlights Sen. Rubio’s anti-abortion stances.

On Tuesday, October 16, Representative Val Demings (D) squared off against Senator Marco Rubio (R) in the one and only Florida Senate Campaign. During the debate, Demings used the time to call out Rubio for being a “serial liar” and  distorting her record and positions on issues. Rubio notably criticized Demings support for Biden’s economic agenda.

The Fundraising Fight: 

The Rubio-vs.-Demings senate race—both presumptive nominees— is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in 2022, especially with both Demings and Rubio having prominent national profiles. Demings running for the Senate, in addition to a competitive gubernatorial race, will provide Democrats a strong candidate at the top of the ballot. In 2018, the Florida U.S. Senate race between Bill Nelson and Rick Scott was one of the most expensive Senate races at the time. Nelson spent $31.5 million and Scott’s campaign spent $82.8 million. After including outside spending, the cost of the 2018 race was above $200 million.

In early September, Val Demings launched the first TV ad of her Senate campaign focused on abortion. In the 30-second ad spot, Demings criticized Marco Rubio’s (R) position and record on abortion. The ad is part of an ongoing statewide TV buy, per Demings’ campaign. Demings has been a dominant figure on the airwaves, as she has deployed $25 million on TV, digital, and radio ads so far. Meanwhile, Rubio and the NRSC have spent a combined $6.4 million. AdImpact reports that Demings has $1.6 million reserved for TV time through Election Day compared to only $484,000 for the senator.

Both Demings and Rubio are among the strongest fundraisers in the Senate cycle thus far. In the second quarter of 2022, Demings outraised Rubio, raising $12.2 million compared to the $4.5 million raised by Rubio, an incredibly impressive feat for a challenger in a Senate race. She has proven to be a formidable fundraiser, ranking in more than $43 million total thus far this cycle, eclipsing Rubio’s total of nearly $27 million. This is the fifth consecutive quarter Demings has outraised Rubio. Although outraised by Demings, Rubio has $14.5 million cash on hand and Demings has $12.6 million. 

Acknowledging the previous expensive Senate races in the state, Demings know her campaign needs robust financial support to defeat Rubio. The Demings campaign anticipates the total election budget to be around $75 million. Demings plans to build a diverse and unique coalition in the state. She hopes to accomplish this through engaging groups early and traveling in red counties to build a truly representative coalition. These partnerships thus far include the DSCC, the Florida Democratic Party, and EMILY’s List.

The Cook Political Report rates the 2022 Florida Senate race as a Lean R race. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio announced his re-election bid in November 2020. Sen. Rubio is the presumptive nominee and has a track record in Congress of aligning with former President Trump. Recently, Rubio has promoted false information around the COVID-19 pandemic and election fraud, has voted against the creation of the January 6 commission, and has supported various other far-right ideas. His political alignments have earned him an early endorsements from Former President Trump who stated in his statement “It is my honor to give U.S. Senator Marco Rubio my Complete and Total Endorsement, … Marco has been a tireless advocate for the people of Florida, fighting to cut taxes, supporting our Second Amendment, our Military and our Vets, a strong national defense, and all of the forgotten men and women of America.” 

Democrats are investing in the political infrastructure of Florida following a string of narrow statewide losses. Former President Donald Trump defeated President Joe Biden by 3.3 points (371,686 voters) in 2020. And Trump also defeated Hillary Clinton by 1.2 points (112,911 voters) in the 2016 presidential election. Despite recent statewide Democratic losses, Republicans have won recent down ticket elections by paper-thin margins, revealing an opportunity for Democrats to win. In 2018, Republican Sen. Rick Scott defeated Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson by just 0.2 points (10,033 voters). Additionally, that same year Republican Gov. Ron DeSantisis defeated Andrew Guillum by only 0.4 points (32,463 voters). Both of the statewide losses in 2018 were by less than a point, demonstrating Democrats’ ability to win.

Despite registered Republican voters outnumbering Democratic voters in the state for the first time, a growing number of voters in Florida have no party affiliation, creating a significant sector of voters to mobilize and vote Blue in November. In September 2021, the DSCC launched a $30 million field organizing “Defend the Majority Program” to partner with state parties, open field offices, and start volunteer training programs. The investment is funding nine key states, including Florida, which the DSCC view as critical for expanding the Senate majority. Additionally, funds are being allocated to hire more organizers to mobilize communities of color and young voters in the state. Also aiming to mobilize Latinx voters is the Latino Victory Fund. With a goal to build lasting national Latino political power, the Latino Victory Fund is conducting a six-figure investment in ads, hosting fundraising events, and organizing. Building Back Together, a nonprofit founded by Biden supporters, have launched a $1.5 million ad campaign to also mobilize key constituencies in battleground states, including Florida. The group has already begun to run Spanish and English-language ads in Florida to reach Latinx voters.

Policy Priorities:

As gleaned from candidate’s submitted V4P Questionnaire, website and research by V4P staff

Strengthening our Democracy

• Demings served as a House impeachment manager during former President Trump’s first impeachment trial in the Senate, and made history being the first Black woman to do so.
• As a representative, Demings sponsored and introduced the Every Vote Counts Act (H.R.3867) which would prohibit states from establishing certain restrictions on voting by mail in a federal election.
• Demings sponsored House Resolution 8101, which seeks to restore voting rights on the federal level to formerly incarcerated individuals. 
• Demings has indicated that she will fight to get secret money out of politics and supports the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act among others. 
• She also said that she supports overturning Citizens United, requiring funding disclosures from outside groups, and matching small-dollar contributions.
• Demings will support nominating Supreme Court Justices with clear records of fighting for workers, consumers, civil rights, racial justice, protections for women & LGBTQIA+ Americans, and the environment.
• Demings strongly supports ending the filibuster to pass legislation that makes the promise of democracy real for all and has indicated that her first act in the Senate will be to protect voting rights. 

Championing a Healthy Climate and Environment

• Demings supports government funding for the development of renewable energy. 
• Demings sponsored the Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act of 2021 (H.R. 5332) which requires the Secretary of Energy to provide grants to support and expand domestic solar manufacturing.
• Demings supports and has led efforts to stop offshore drilling along Florida’s coast. 
• Demings helped secure funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act (H.R.3686) to create new jobs that will plug abandoned oil and gas wells to reduce air and water pollution. 
• Demings supports transitioning to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050, achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonizing the transportation sector, and ending fossil fuel subsidies. 
• She also supports efforts to strengthen environmental justice and believes we “must recognize that protecting our children’s health is impossible without environmental justice.”
• Demings is also an original cosponsor of H. Res 1102 “THRIVE” (Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy Agenda) which in part aims to build a more equitable society by creating healthy communities through increased recognition of environmental justice.

Health Care and Reproductive Justice

• Demings supports public funding for abortion services and voted to end the HYDE Amendment. 

• Demings has a strong history of protecting reproductive rights such as voting for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act. She even took a stand against restrictive Trump-era legislation by voting against a 2019 Domestic Gag Rule (H.R. 2740) for certain Title X funds.
• Demings will support legislation to move the U.S. toward universal health care and will fight for health equity in policy decisions. She does not believe in the elimination of private insurance, which she claims “must remain as an option for those who want it.”
• Demings supports reproductive justice and indicated she will support legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into law.

Ensuring Economic Justice for All

• Demings supported the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act (H.R. 3686) citing that, “when we invest in middle-class America, when we invest in people who have to go to work every day, America does better.”
• Demings has a record of supporting labor legislation such as the P.R.O. ACT and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act and will continue to do so in the Senate. 
• Demings has and will support legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 and strengthen the care economy (paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, and home and community based services). 
• She will also support canceling student loan debt.
• Demings will support legislation to close tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy and corporations, but will not co-sponsor legislation to create a wealth tax on personal wealth above $50 million.
• She will also support permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Cred (EITC).

Ensuring Racial and Social Justice for All

• A notable legislative package Demings sponsored is the Protecting Our Communities Act (H.R. 3299), which would close multiple gun loopholes in federal law.
• After becoming Chief of Police, Demings helped reduce violent crime by 40% and created initiatives to bring the community and police closer.
• Recently, Demings cosponsored and voted for the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R.8404), a bipartisan supported bill that would codify both same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law. Her opponent Senator Marco Rubio (R) stated he would not be voting for the bill in the Senate and called it a “waste of our time on a non-issue.”
• Demings supported the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 1112) to expand the reach of the National Instant Criminal Background Check Service to include any individual adjudicated to have a psychiatric or neurological diagnosis, creating a dangerous precedent for people with mental disabilities. 
• Demings voted for and is a cosponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 
• Demings will support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants and comprehensive federal justice, policing, and safety reform. 
• She will oppose efforts to ban or limit teaching of critical race theory, and will advance the discussion on reparations.
• She has cosponsored and voted for legislation to protect LGBTQIA+ people such as the Equality Act.

*Profile updated as of October 26, 2022