One issue that Republicans and Democrats have differed on is law enforcement and the funding of police since the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Florida Rep. Val Demings (D), who’s vying to unseat Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), took to social media to slam Republicans, arguing that they attempted to “shamefully… sabotage” the argument against “Democrats defunding the police.”
Demings, calling herself “Chief Demings” on the campaign trail, is a former Orlando Police Chief, and the issue of defunding the police has loomed over her campaign.
In late 2020, the Minneapolis city council announced that it would be disbanding the Minneapolis Police Department. In response to the announcement, Demings comments that the decision was “very thoughtful.” Moreover, in an interview that same year, Demings added that “there desperately needs to be change.”
Since then, 55 Sheriffs have endorsed the incumbent Senator over her campaign, citing views on law enforcement.
Within the Democratic party, Democrats have also faced infighting over some members supporting the Defund the Police movement while others like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and even President Barack Obama (D) have shrugged off the movement as ineffective.
On social media over the weekend, Demings posted a video of her providing further remarks regarding the movement and criticism from Republicans.
Today we held an critical hearing on violent threats against colleges, synagogues, and temples. Some of my colleagues shamefully tried to hijack this important topic to make false claims about Democrats defunding the police (which we are not). I wasn’t having it. pic.twitter.com/QnMDLZbBud
— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) February 17, 2022
“Today we held a critical hearing on violent threats against colleges, synagogues, and temples,” Demings wrote, adding that “some of my colleagues shamefully tried to hijack this important topic to make false claims about Democrats defunding the police (which we are not).”
In the video, Demings goes on to express that “we’re going to fund the police! And we can back the backs of our police officers and the communities we serve too.”
She specified that the reason why lawmakers are going to “fund the police” is that “the communities most at risk from crime want more security not less.”
Rep. Demings, in January, announced that she was co-sponsoring the Invest in Law Enforcement Act of 2022, which is a bipartisan bill that will “invest in local police departments in Florida and across the country.”
