Rubio defeats Demings in race for U.S. Senate

Sen. Marco Rubio soundly defeated Democratic Rep. Val Demings on Tuesday to win a third term, surviving a bitterly fought contest and boosting the GOP’s efforts to take control of the U.S. Senate.

Rubio touted the gains Republicans made in traditionally Democratic strongholds in Florida, telling supporters at his victory party it was “great to be here gathered in the red county of Miami-Dade.”

Rubio trounced Demings, winning 57.6% of the vote to Demings’ 41.3% with 88% of the results tallied. Major news organizations called the race for Rubio just minutes after the final polls closed in the Panhandle at 8 p.m.

Rubio attributed his victory to Americans being fed up with high gas prices, illegal immigration and inflation.

“No matter how many press conferences you give about the threat to democracy and all this other garbage, we are never going to abandon common sense,” Rubio said. “No amount of money is going to convince Americans that men can become pregnant, and America is not the greatest country in the world.”

Demings delivered a concession speech in Orlando with her husband, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, by her side.

She told supporters their fight for “our democracy and the American dream” wasn’t finished, and they should “never tire of doing good.”

“In the coming years, American democracy ... will be tested,” Demings said. “This is going to be the great challenge of our lives, possibly one of the greatest challenges our nation has ever faced. But I am here tonight to tell you that, yes even tonight, I still believe in America, and I still believe in our democracy.”

Rubio and Demings clashed for months over abortion, the economy, law and order and fitness for office in a campaign that featured millions of dollars in attack ads.

Rubio remained a favorite throughout, but Demings’ strong fundraising numbers generated Democratic optimism that she could pull off an upset.

Rubio sought to portray Demings as a radical who embraced the far left’s calls to defund the police and supported a “socialist” budget proposal.

Demings, a former Orlando police chief and a third-term congresswoman, touted her law enforcement credentials in response to Rubio’s attacks. She accused Rubio of lying and missing votes in the Senate.

“I am really disappointed in you because I think there was a time when you did not lie in order to win,” Demings told Rubio during their only debate.

Rubio, 51, rallied with former President Donald Trump two days before Election Day to shore up support among his conservative base. He warned of grim consequences if Democrats remained in power on Capitol Hill.

“If these people stay in power, they will destroy the greatest country in the history of the world, and we will not allow it,” Rubio said.

Despite Demings’ police background, Rubio landed endorsements from more than 50 Florida sheriffs and key law enforcement groups.

Demings, 65, campaigned with President Joe Biden in South Florida. She raised $72 million in campaign cash, compared with Rubio’s $47 million, the most recent figures available. Rubio also benefited from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who raked in more than $150 million for his reelection effort.

Rubio told supporters that the dollars spent by his opponent weren’t enough to make a difference.

“They wasted a lot of money, and I am glad they wasted it here and not in all these other states we have a chance to win,” he said.

First elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Rubio rose to the top tier of his party, serving as vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He made a bid for president in 2016, dropping out of the race after Trump, who dubbed him “Little Marco” and defeated him in his own state’s presidential primary.

Demings entered the race as a rising Democratic star. She served as one of seven impeachment managers for Trump’s first trial in the Senate. Biden considered her as a possible running mate in 2020.

In her concession speech, Demings didn’t express regrets for running for higher office.

“I am not tired,” she said. “I am not weary. When I look around and see your faces, I am not defeated.”

Both candidates highlighted their humble origins. Demings is the daughter of a maid and a janitor, and Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants.

Abortion emerged as a flashpoint in the race. Demings blasted Rubio for signing onto a national 15-week abortion ban. Rubio said he was “100% pro-life,” but he would still back abortion bans with exceptions for rape and incest, such as the 15-week ban he co-sponsored.

Demings said she supports keeping abortion legal up to viability as determined by a doctor, the standard set forth in the Roe v. Wade case recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Viability is typically considered to be at about 24 weeks of pregnancy by the medical community.

On the economy, Rubio accused Demings of being in lockstep with Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying their policies had set off high inflation. Demings fired back that she had fought to lower the price of prescription drugs for seniors and take on price gouging by oil companies.

Demings attacked Rubio on guns, accusing him of doing nothing to stop mass shootings. Shortly after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Rubio said during a CNN town hall he supported increasing the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. That’s a position he no longer holds.

Rubio said he didn’t think raising the age would make a difference, but he had supported school-safety and red-flag proposals that he thinks will make people safer.

Rubio told his supporters Tuesday night he thinks Republicans are bringing in more diverse and working-class voters, which will make the party stronger.

“I believe we are on the cusp of a new generation of leadership in this Republican Party that will restore common sense, that’ll put hard-working Americans first, and that will leave for our children what they deserve to inherit, the greatest country in the history of the world,” he said.

South Florida Sun Sentinel staff writer Anthony Man contributed to this report. sswisher@orlandosentinel.com