Florida Rep. Val Demings (D) and her rival, incumbent Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) have engaged in a heated exchange of words, and the feud is growing more tense as November looms closer. As the Florida Democrat touts her time as the Orlando police chief, calling herself "Chief Demings," the Rubio campaign is fighting back, arguing that Demings is only highlighting it for political purposes.
In a recent article from the Miami Herald, Rubio criticizes the Florida Democrat, who’s billing herself as “Chief Demings” in campaign materials.
In a statement, Rubio pushed back, saying that “the reason why she’s always talking about herself as a former police chief and not as a member of Congress is because she’s been here for six years and she hasn’t done anything, literally not a single significant thing.”
The criticism comes after 55 Sheriffs from across the Sunshine State endorsed Senator Rubio, arguing that Demings has turned her back on the police.
As the Miami Herald article explains, Demings “voted last year in favor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” The bill is described to have restricted “the use of qualified immunity, a legal precedent which currently shields police officers from being held personally liable in excessive force and other misconduct cases unless a plaintiff can show their clearly established constitutional or statutory rights were violated,” which is explained as “a difficult bar to prevail in court.”
Demings previously used the title until she was under consideration for President Joe Biden’s (D) Vice President. However, the name has once again appeared, and this is something that has also angered police.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who endorsed Rubio, commented that it is “disturbing that Demings would pick and choose the times she adopts the title of ‘Chief’ based on when it’s politically helpful for her and not when it comes to standing up for law enforcement.”
