FL Senate Primary Election: Demings Hopes To Face Rubio In Fall

FLORIDA — Going into Tuesday’s primary election, polls show that the top Democratic contender for Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate seat could best the Republican incumbent in the general election.

In a poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, 48 percent of respondents indicated they’d vote for Val Demings, while 44 percent said they supported Rubio and 7 percent plan to vote for other candidates.

Before they go head-to-head Nov. 8, though, Deming’s goes up against Democratic challengers Ricardo De La Fuente, Brian Rush and William Sanchez Tuesday.

The UNF poll indicates that she’ll easily defeat her opponents for the Democratic nod, as 80 percent of respondents said they’d likely vote for her. Four percent of those polled said they’d likely vote for Sanchez and Rush, while 2 percent said they’d vote for De La Fuente.

Rubio won’t face any Republican challengers in the primaries.

Since 2010, the 51-year-old Miami native, born to Cuban immigrants, has represented Florida in the U.S. Senate.

According to his website, he has "one guiding objective: bring the American Dream back into the reach of those who feel it slipping away.”

Rubio has served on numerous committees during his time in Senate, including the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Special Committee on Aging. He also authored the Paycheck Protection Program for businesses impacted by COVID-19 and Americans out of work during the pandemic.

He ran for president in the 2016 elections, but dropped out in March of that year after coming in second to President Donald Trump in the Florida Republican primary, according to Ballotpedia.

Among his key issues are national security, immigration, health care, social issues and the economy.

Demings, 65, has served as a U.S. representative since 2017.

Before this, the Jacksonville native served in the Orlando Police Department for 27 years. In 2007, she was named the agency’s first female chief of police, according to her website.

In the House, she currently works on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Intelligence committees.

Now, Demings is seeking to unseat Rubio in the U.S. Senate, writing on her campaign website, “I believe that only in America can a little black girl, the daughter of a maid and a janitor, growing up in the south in the ’60s, have such an amazing opportunity. No one can make me give up on America.”

Among her primary issues are jobs and the economy, health care, housing, the environment, and public safety.

Primary Day Voting

On Tuesday, you must vote in your precinct. If you try to vote at the wrong polling place, your vote will not count.

Precinct and polling location information can be found on your voter information card. To find your precinct or polling location online, or for the most current information about polling place changes, check your Supervisor of Elections’ website or contact the office. Contact information is here.

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 23. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the polling place after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.

To avoid delays at the polling place, bring one or two forms of current identification that include your signature and photo. Without proper identification, you may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility. Any of the forms acceptable for early voting are also acceptable for election day voting.

If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.

Voters are welcome to bring a sample ballot to the polling place marked with their choices so there are no delays in voting.

When you arrive at the polls:

1. Check in with your valid and current photo and signature ID.
2. Receive your paper ballot and proceed to a privacy booth.
3. Using the black pen provided, completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections.
4. Review your ballot. If you wish to make changes, request another ballot.
5. If you have any questions, ask a poll worker before you insert the ballot in the scanner. Once a ballot has been accepted, it cannot be retrieved.

If you are satisfied with your selections:

• Take your ballot to the optical scanner in the secrecy folder provided.
• Insert your ballot into the optical scan feeder.
• The scanner will record your votes and place your ballot into the locked ballot box.
• The scanner will alert you if your ballot appears blank or if it detects too many votes.
• You will have the option to either submit the ballot as is or make changes.
• You are not required to vote in every race or for every issue on the ballot, therefore, the scanner will not alert you of instances in which you did not vote.