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'Law and order' is a key issue in Florida Senate race as Rubio faces former police chief Val Demings
Insider via Yahoo NewsOn Saturday, Rubio secured the endorsement of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents more than 30,000 members. Steadman Stahl, South Florida PBA president, called Rubio a "true champion for law and order" during a Saturday evening press conference at Trump National Doral…
The endorsement is key for Rubio. In November, he's likely to face off against Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who was Orlando's first female chief of police and is married to a former sheriff. Two other law enforcement groups have endorsed Rubio: the Florida Police Chiefs Association and 55 of Florida's sheriffs.
The pro-police message has been effective for Republicans in past races. As Democrats pushed police reforms and violence soared during the pandemic, Republicans sought to cast all Democrats as being weak on crime and supportive of progressives' unpopular rallying cry to "defund the police." Rubio slammed the stance in remarks he made Saturday.
But debate over the issue is likely to play out differently in Florida than in other states. Demings's campaign has embraced and even played up her police experience during the race, calling her "Chief Demings" in press releases and other campaign materials instead of "Congresswoman Demings."
Demings oversaw a 40% drop in violent crime when she was chief of police, said Christian Slater, spokesman for the Demings campaign, when asked to respond to the Rubio endorsements.
"Unlike lifelong politician Marco Rubio, she has an actual record of fighting crime and making communities safer," he said. "As Florida's next senator, Chief Demings will always have law enforcement's back as she works to keep the public safe and ensure law enforcement officers have the resources they need to fight crime."
Demings, who has been in the US House since 2017, was one of the managers in then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial in the Senate. While in Congress, she has introduced legislation to increase federal grants to police departments.
The endorsement is key for Rubio. In November, he's likely to face off against Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who was Orlando's first female chief of police and is married to a former sheriff. Two other law enforcement groups have endorsed Rubio: the Florida Police Chiefs Association and 55 of Florida's sheriffs.
The pro-police message has been effective for Republicans in past races. As Democrats pushed police reforms and violence soared during the pandemic, Republicans sought to cast all Democrats as being weak on crime and supportive of progressives' unpopular rallying cry to "defund the police." Rubio slammed the stance in remarks he made Saturday.
But debate over the issue is likely to play out differently in Florida than in other states. Demings's campaign has embraced and even played up her police experience during the race, calling her "Chief Demings" in press releases and other campaign materials instead of "Congresswoman Demings."
Demings oversaw a 40% drop in violent crime when she was chief of police, said Christian Slater, spokesman for the Demings campaign, when asked to respond to the Rubio endorsements.
"Unlike lifelong politician Marco Rubio, she has an actual record of fighting crime and making communities safer," he said. "As Florida's next senator, Chief Demings will always have law enforcement's back as she works to keep the public safe and ensure law enforcement officers have the resources they need to fight crime."
Demings, who has been in the US House since 2017, was one of the managers in then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial in the Senate. While in Congress, she has introduced legislation to increase federal grants to police departments.
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