FL Senate Race: Demings Hopes To Unseat Rubio In 2022 Election

FLORIDA — As he seeks a third term in the U.S. Senate, Republican incumbent Marco Rubio hopes to hold off Democratic contender Val Demings in Florida’s closely-watched race.

Rubio of Miami, who didn’t face a Republican challenger in the primaries, is seeking a third term in office Tuesday.

Demings, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, easily defeated her opponents in the Aug. 23 primary election to win the Democratic nod.

In addition to Demings, Rubio faces three other challengers on Election Day: libertarian Dennis Misigoy, and Steven B. Grant and Tuan TQ Nguyen, who are both running with no party affiliation.

A new InsiderAdvantage Fox 35 News exclusive poll shows Rubio with a 6-point lead over Demings. The poll, which was taken Nov. 1, surveyed 550 people and has a 4.2 percent margin of error.

Of those who participated in the poll, 51 percent said they would vote for Rubio if the election were to take place that day. Another 45 percent of respondents said they’d vote for Demings. About 3 percent said they were undecided, and 1 percent said they backed another candidate.

Another recent poll from Data for Progress, which surveyed more than 1,200 voters between Oct. 19-23, also shows Rubio leading his challenger. The poll has a 3 percent margin of error.

About 51 percent of those polled said they would vote for Rubiio, while 44 percent said they support Demings. Another 1 percent of respondents said they would vote for Misigoy, 1 percent named another candidate and 2 percent were unsure of how they plan to vote.

Since 2010, Rubio, a 51-year-old Miami native born to Cuban immigrants, has represented Florida in the U.S. Senate.

According to his website, he has one guiding objective: “bring the American Dream back into the reach of those who feel it slipping away.”

Rubio has served on numerous committees during his time in Senate, including the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Special Committee on Aging. He also authored the Paycheck Protection Program for businesses impacted by COVID-19 and Americans out of work during the pandemic.

He ran for president in the 2016 elections, but dropped out in March of that year after coming in second to President Donald Trump in the Florida Republican primary, according to Ballotpedia.

Among his key issues are national security, immigration, health care, social issues and the economy.

Demings, 65, has served as a U.S. representative since 2017. Before this, the Jacksonville native served in the Orlando Police Department for 27 years. In 2007, she was named the agency’s first female chief of police, according to her website.

In the House, she currently works on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Intelligence committees.

Now, Demings is seeking to unseat Rubio in the U.S. Senate, writing on her campaign website, “I believe that only in America can a little Black girl, the daughter of a maid and a janitor, growing up in the south in the ’60s, have such an amazing opportunity. No one can make me give up on America.”

Among her primary issues are jobs and the economy, health care, housing, the environment, and public safety.

Where and how to vote

In order to cast your ballot in the 2022 general election, you’ll need to bring a valid and current photo and signature ID to your polling station. Without proper identification, you may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

If you’re not sure where to vote, you can look up your polling station here.

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the polling place after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.