Last week, Florida Rep. Val Demings (D) took part in a virtual event over Zoom with the National Organization for Women (NOW). Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s (R) campaign is now criticizing the Senatorial hopeful over comments shared during the event. The comments in question are in regards to Demings and the Democrats' "message" heading into the upcoming 2022 midterm election.
When asked what her political message was for Floridians as a candidate for the Senate, Rep. Demings laughed and responded by saying that her campaign has “not figured it out yet because we’re taking our time.” She then added that “We have some of the greatest minds through the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] as well as the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] and others around the nation who are working on ‘what’s that simple message?’”
The Rubio campaign has taken this exchange and used it for a new political advertisement titled “What is Democrats’ message? Val Demings doesn’t know.”
At the end of the advertisement, the words “Demings only knows how to follow the leader” are imposed over images of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D).
Rubio has often called Demings a “Pelosi Puppet,” and he has warned that, if elected to the Senate, Demings would vote for “socialist” policies.
This week, the former Orlando Police Chief accused Senator Rubio of “doing nothing” on the issue of rising gun violence. The comments come after Rubio called Demings a “do-nothing Democrat.”
During a press conference at Bayfront Park, Demings questioned, “why doesn’t Sen. Marco Rubio support universal background checks?” “We can do better,” she responded, saying that “doing nothing is not an option.”
“My opponent has had many opportunities but chose to put the interest of the [National Rifle Association], the gun lobby, above the interest and safety of Floridians,” she added, asserting that “that’s just a fact.”
She concluded her remarks by affirming that “the future victims of gun violence deserve more than thoughts and prayers.”
