Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, defeated his Democratic challenger, Representative Val Demings, on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. The win secures his third term in Congress and further cements the G.O.P.’s grip on the state.
Ms. Demings, a Black woman who served as Orlando’s first female police chief, was seen as a formidable opponent to Mr. Rubio, a polished mainstay of Florida politics. Ms. Demings mounted a serious challenge in which she highlighted her law enforcement credentials in a midterm cycle in which Republicans tried to paint Democrats as soft on crime.
In the final days of the race, Ms. Demings campaigned with President Biden, who had considered her during the 2020 campaign as a potential running mate. Mr. Rubio held a rally with former President Donald J. Trump.
But Ms. Demings struggled for months to narrow Mr. Rubio’s lead in the polls in a state that has shifted rightward. Mr. Rubio, who held few campaign events while the state was recovering from Hurricane Ian and delivered a gaffe-free performance in the single debate between the candidates, gave her few opportunities to undercut his campaign.
Mr. Rubio painted his opponent as extreme, calling her a “puppet” of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and claiming that she would be “Florida’s most liberal senator ever” and was “dangerously radical.”
Annie Karni
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