Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) raised $4 million in the second quarter for his 2022 Senate reelection bid, more than doubling the $1.6 million he raised in the first quarter.
“Rubio’s second quarter fundraising is more than any GOP Senate incumbent raised during the second quarter of 2019, the similar time period during the previous election cycle,” his campaign told Fox News.
Rubio had $3.9 million cash on hand at the beginning of April.
Rubio’s opponent, Rep. Val Demings (R-FL), has yet to report the second quarter. Demings raised $1 million the first 24 hours after announcing her candidacy.
Florida is historically an expensive state to capture because of its ten media markets. For instance, Rubio’s election in 2016 had a price tag of $110 million.
But 2016 was only about half of what Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) race cost in 2018, ranking the most expensive at the time: $205 million.
On Tuesday, Demings took to television to mock Rubio for tweeting Bible verses.
“Well, you know, Joy [Reid], a long time ago, someone told me I’d rather see a sermon any day than to hear one,” Demings replied. “So Rubio can send out all of the Bible verses that he wants to.”
Demings was also recently endorsed by former Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), an outspoken amnesty advocate who once belonged to the Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
Rubio has attacked Demings by explaining, “None of them [Demings and other Democrats] will admit to being a socialist. She probably won’t. But she certainly has voted for socialist things.”
“How can you vote with ‘the Squad’ 94% of the time and argue that you’re not an honorary member of that group? How can you vote with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time and argue that you’re not a far-left, liberal extremist?” Rubio continued.
“So she’ll have to answer to that, or whoever their candidate is will have to answer to what their voting record is.”