Val Demings Likely to Challenge Ron DeSantis or Marco Rubio in 2022

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) is likely to challenge either Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) or Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in 2022.

“There’s not a day here, as of late, that I am not talking to a lot of people about the decision that I will be making very, very soon,” Demings said when asked about her political future in an interview with 19thNews.org.

“They are two very different jobs. But when we look at what our governors do,” Demings continued, “We didn’t even talk about the anti-protest bill and so many other things where he [DeSantis] has demonstrated that he wants to create winners and losers based on your ability to pay to play.”

“And then we have a senator [Rubio], as we talk about voting rights, as we talk about the American Rescue Plan and helping people who are in crisis, the For the People Act, and so many pieces of legislation dealing with gun violence,” Demings said about her far-left policy positions before noting her decision to challenge either Rubio or DeSantis will be made “really soon.”

“Florida doesn’t have a senator who cares about those things. We have two very critical needs in the Senate and in the governor’s mansion. And so, you know, I am considering it, and I will be making my decision really soon,” she concluded.

Aspects of challenging either Rubio or DeSantis in 2022 could be DeSantis’ high approval rating and Rep. Charlie Crist’s (D-FL) decision to enter the Democrat primary race to earn an opportunity to challenge DeSantis.

Also in the fray is Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), who, like Demings, is facing a Florida State Republican-controlled redistricting effort this fall, potentially forcing both Murphy and Demings to seek higher office for the sake of avoiding contentious primary runs for the seats they currently hold.

Crist, Murphy, and Demings are all near Central Florida’s I4 corridor, where the Republican-controlled redistricting is expected to add a new district according to the region’s population growth data.

Additionally in the mix is Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is considering a primary challenge to Crist for governor or an Democrat primary race for Senate.