Val Demings officially announces 2022 run against Marco Rubio

Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings has officially announced she will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2022, saying on Twitter that she is running because she will “never tire” of serving Florida and “standing up for what is right.”

The news has been widely expected, with a Demings adviser saying she would announce her candidacy in June.

Demings, who was Orlando’s first Black woman police chief and was on President Joe Biden’s shortlist of potential running mates in 2020, is seen by some Democrats as a strong challenger in a race that could be key to Democrats’ control of the Senate.

Demings, 64, was first elected to Congress in 2016. She played a central role in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial as one of the impeachment managers in the U.S. House.

Demings is not likely to be alone among Democrats in the race. Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson are both eyeing the seat, as is Tampa Cuban activist Al Fox.

Rubio, a two-term Republican from Miami who is the state’s senior senator, has high name recognition and is expected to be a formidable opponent as he works to secure a third term.

Rubio’s campaign manager, Mark Morgan, released a statement Wednesday saying that “Marco’s contrast with Val Demings could not be greater because she has no record of results for Florida.” Morgan’s statement attempted to tie Demings to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying Demings voted with Pelosi “nearly 100 percent of the time.”

Rubio also posted a video on Twitter on Wednesday morning, attacking Demings as a “do-nothing House member” and touting his own record.

“I’m looking forward to this campaign because it’s going to offer the people of Florida a very clear difference,” Rubio said in the video.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.