Florida Democrats gathered over the weekend at the annual Leadership Blue Gala in Tampa, Florida. The event is meant to energize the party ahead of the midterm election, and with Florida heading into the primary election in August, it provided the platform for lawmakers to make their case. A number of Democrats shared their views with attendees, including Florida Rep. Val Demings (D). In response, the Rubio campaign chided her speech, calling Demings someone “who has failed to deliver results.”
Although Florida decidedly voted for President Donald Trump (R) in the 2020 election, it’s still a swing state. Because of this, Democrats have set their sights on potential races they can win to expand their grasp of the legislative field. One effort is the race to unseat Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), and Rep. Demings has vowed to be the Democrat to do so.
The event was sold out with more than 2,000 Democrats gathering in Tampa.
Blue Shift Florida’s Chairman Manny Diaz (D) addressed the crowd and the goal of the event, assuring that “Blue Shift includes the entire Democratic ticket and our national and state-affiliated organizations. Blue Shift will institutionalize party unity and a team approach – year-round work, year-round staff, year-round strategy, and organizing. Blue Shift is building a campaign to last and a campaign to win.”
However, as Democrats maintain that they can win in the upcoming election, Republicans argue that the political tide is not in their favor.
In response to Demings’ speech over the weekend, the Rubio campaign released a statement.
“Val Demings is on the wrong side of every issue that affects the day-to-day lives of Floridians,” said Elizabeth Gregory, the communications director for the Rubio campaign. “Demings went to Washington and immediately catered to the liberal elite instead of getting things done for Florida: her only accomplishment in Washington is renaming two post offices,” Gregory added, commenting that “as Election Day approaches, Floridians will get to know Val Demings as a far-left radical who has failed to deliver results for them when it really counts.”
