Florida Rep. Val Demings is reportedly planning to challenge Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for his US Senate seat in 2022.
Politico reports that the Florida Democrat had previously considered a run for governor but decided she could do the most good by taking on Rubio, according to Democrats familiar with her thinking.
“She’s going to draw a contrast between who she is and how she represents Florida vs. Marco Rubio, who a lot of people where I live never see him," said former Florida chief financial officer, Alex Sink, per Politico.
Demings, 64, represents Florida's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She made history in 2007 when she became Orlando’s first female Chief of Police, and the first Black woman to serve in the position.
The congresswoman gained national recognition as the only non-lawyer on the first House impeachment committee to charge President Donald Trump with wrongdoing. Her background as a Black woman in law enforcement allowed her to become a prominent voice on policing and racial issues, which Politico reports earned her a spot on President Joe Biden’s shortlist as a possible running mate in the 2020 election.
Born in Jacksonville, Demings is a Florida native. She is married to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, is a proud mother to three sons, and proud grandmother to five, according to her government biography.
She currently sits on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security.
Demings is expected to make her final decision on her Senate run as early as next month, according to Politico.
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