Rubio beats Demings to secure a 3rd term in the Senate - POLITICO

Demings (D-Fla.), who gave up her comparatively harmless Orlando-area spot successful Congress to instrumentality connected the incumbent, outraised Rubio adjacent arsenic the legislator consistently was up of her successful astir polls. Demings tried to entreaty to moderates by stressing her acquisition arsenic a erstwhile constabulary main portion astatine aforesaid clip hammering Rubio arsenic “extreme” owed to his absorption to abortion.

Demings conceded to Rubio soon aft the contention was called. She told a country of supporters she had spoken with Rubio and congratulated him. “I basal by the determination of the people,” Demings said.

She was a rising prima successful the party: President Joe Biden considered her for his moving mate during the 2020 statesmanlike cycle, and she served arsenic an impeachment manager during erstwhile President Donald Trump’s archetypal impeachment inquiry.

But Rubio’s run hammered her endlessly arsenic being successful lockstep with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Biden contended that she was excessively extremist for voters successful a authorities that has been increasing progressively Republican.

“In bid to win successful today’s Democratic Party, you person to beryllium for the docket that those groups are for. So they spell to Washington, and they ballot similar Demings has, 100 percent with Pelosi,” Rubio said during a precocious October quality connected Fox News. “She not conscionable cosponsored, but voted for this precise radical, virtually communist fund successful her archetypal 2 years there. … Their statement is this: ‘We tin ballot similar leftists, and we’ll rise capable wealth to confuse radical and run similar a centrist.’”

Rubio ran unsuccessfully for president successful 2016, wherever helium was ridiculed and crushed by Trump. But Rubio made amends with Trump and became a starring dependable successful guiding the erstwhile president’s argumentation successful Latin America and the Caribbean. Two days earlier Election Day, Trump hosted a rally for Rubio successful Miami.

Miami-Dade, wherever Biden won by 7 percent points successful 2020, ended up taking a large displacement to the close to assistance Rubio triumph the state. Democrats had disquieted astir slipping successful the county, which is astir 70 percent Latino, arsenic Republicans proceed to marque gains with Latino voters.

Demings had been weighing a situation to Gov. Ron DeSantis but amazed galore apical Florida Democrats by alternatively moving against Rubio. She outspent him connected tv ads and deed the legislator with ads that took purpose astatine Rubio’s attendance grounds successful Congress.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court determination to overturn termination protections nether Roe v. Wade, Demings assailed Rubio aft helium said helium favored a implicit prohibition connected termination with nary exceptions. Rubio besides signed connected arsenic a co-sponsor to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) measure that would enforce a national prohibition connected each termination aft 15 weeks of pregnancy, but with exceptions for victims of rape and incest.

Demings besides went aft Rubio’s stance connected weapon power successful a authorities that had been the tract of 2 high-profile wide shootings successful the past six years.

During their lone statement successful October, Rubio acknowledged that helium did not enactment raising the minimum property to acquisition a firearm contempt antecedently backing specified a connection successful the aftermath of the Parkland massacre, wherever 17 radical were killed. Rubio argued that specified regulations would bash small to halt aboriginal shootings.

“How agelong volition you ticker radical being gunned down successful archetypal grade, 4th grade, precocious school, college, church, synagogue, the market store, a movie theater, a promenade and a nightclub, and bash nothing?” Demings said during the debate.

Rubio’s campaign, however, successfully outmaneuvered Demings by lining up important instrumentality enforcement enactment crossed the authorities — including cutting hard-hitting ads that included section sheriffs questioning her enactment for police. Rubio besides stressed his legislative record, including his relation successful helping trade the Paycheck Protection Program and maintained that Demings had small to amusement for her clip successful Congress.