Underdog may be gaining the upper hand in the 2022 Florida midterm elections

Although incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is seeking his third term in Congress, Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings is hoping to turn Florida blue by taking his place. The Democratic Party only needs to flip one more seat to expand its majority.  

In our current political climate, voting for a partisan candidate no longer entails voting for the individual. Instead, voters are often caught by generalizations and immediately categorized as a “Republican” or “Democrat.” Because people are feeling less comfortable identifying with a particular party, independent voters now constitute a more substantial portion of the voter pool.  

Kari Lerner, Chair of the Lee County Democratic Party, said that although 20% of voters were registered Democrats in the 2020 General Election, almost 40% of the final vote was Democratic. “While the candidates are affiliated with a party, the candidates are the individuals...I think it is important to look at the individual,” Lerner said. 

During her campaign, Demings has strived to appeal to the American people, rather than party members. Being a centrist herself, Demings has the potential to cross the Democratic line, reaching into the independent zone, and even to historically Republican voters.  

“I am doing what a lot of candidates do not do: I’m not just going into places where it’s comfortable for me to go, like Marco Rubio does. I’m talking to Republican voters, Democratic voters, and independent voters about the things that matter to them,” Demings said. 

Emma Harris, 19, voted in the primary elections with confidence that Demings had a chance at beating the Republican incumbent. She feels that Demings is succeeding in her campaign by appealing to centrist voters. “As the former Police Chief of Orlando, she doesn’t believe in abolishing the police and actually wants to increase funding for law enforcement, which I think attracts more voters that are on the fence. While I don’t necessarily support increasing funds for law enforcement, I think this is her best way to get cross-over votes,” Harris said. 

When choosing a candidate, genuine authenticity and transparency are becoming increasingly imperative. After Trump’s presidential term, voters have been hoping to find the middle ground between an established political figure and a down-to-earth human being.  

“There are many people who long for some sense of decorum. You can have decorum and still be authentic,” Lerner. 

Demings’ background exemplifies both of these qualities. She was raised in a hard-working household in Jacksonville, Florida with her parents and six siblings. Because of her diligence and determination, she was the first in her family to attend college. Demings worked as a social worker until several flaws within the system pushed her into law enforcement. She then served as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police. To reach the root of these issues, she continued to move forward. In 2016, she was elected by Florida’s 10th District voters to serve in the House of Representatives. Since then, Demings has made significant efforts towards public safety and civil rights. She is now in pursuit of a seat in the Senate. 

“I think the perspective she brings as a black woman who has worked her way up to her position today, rather than being part of an elite family, is important to have in the Senate,” Harris said. 

Florida has continuously been a key state in the fight for the White House. According to the most recent statistics from the Florida Division of Elections, Florida had 14.3 million registered voters, including approximately 5.2 million Republicans, 5 million Democrats, and 4.2 million independents or voters with no party affiliation.  

Demings has visited Lee County twice in her campaign. She first spoke at the “Flip Florida Blue” luncheon in late March and then again in September at the Quality Life Center in Fort Myers. She intends to come back once more before the election in November.  

"I'm doing what I've always done as a law enforcement officer, and that's not picking winners and losers based on a political party," Demings said in August during an interview with Fox 4. "It's about serving the people. I will represent Fort Myers too. Maybe Marco Rubio should go across the state and talk to people he's not comfortable talking to." 

It has been a tight race between the two candidates, but Demmings is still trailing closely behind Rubio. In 2016, 63% of Floridians voted for Rubio, and he has received continuous solid support from a majority of Florida’s Latinx and Hispanic voters. However, Demings has out-raised Republican incumbent Rubio every quarter this season. She brought in more than $7.8 million on ActBlue, which is the highest of any single candidate in August alone. Now her campaign efforts have raised over $46 million for the General Election in November, in contrast to her opponent, Rubio, whose campaign has raised just under $38 million.  

“At the end of the day, when someone’s willing to make a donation, that’s a vote,” Lerner said. 

Quoted from a recent tweet, President Biden said, “If you give me two more Democratic senators, and Democrats keep the House, I promise you we will codify Roe v. Wade. We will once again make Roe the law of the land. We will once again protect a woman’s right to choose.” 

Demings has placed a key emphasis on women having control over their bodies and not the state. She helped introduce The Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade in federal law, and she ensured its passage through the House. Once the legislation arrived in the hands of the Senate, it was blocked. 

“I dream of an America where we protect constitutional rights, like a woman's right to choose. I've said all along this campaign trail, let me say it again: We're not going back... There are women and men, and people of all races and ages who suffered, bled, and died for us to have the constitutional rights that we enjoy,” Demings said after winning the Democratic nomination for Senate. “We’re not going back to being treated like second-class citizens. We’re not going back to being treated like property. We will continue to fight and fight and fight some more for a woman's right to choose, and you believe in that America.”  

“...With the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, I am terrified of losing my right to an abortion. So, any candidate who supports this is one that I will also support, especially when the Republican candidate is anti-abortion," Harris said. 

Whether a newly ignited or long burning flame, both candidates have received an abundance of support. The race for a seat in Congress will continue to be a tight one to watch until the Midterm Elections on Nov. 8.  

“The government is the government that we choose...Democracy takes work. Our republic takes work. ‘We the people’ are only as good as we the people who participate and make it,” Lerner said.