DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - The campaign trail took Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings to South Florida, where she addressed the state’s housing crisis, women’s reproductive rights and other pressing issues, as 7News sources said Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist is expected to announce his running mate in his race against Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Demings, a former Orlando Police chief who is running against incumbent Marco Rubio, has hit the ground running since her victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election.
Friday night, an energized crowd welcomed the candidate at the Women for Demings event held at the Firefighters Memorial Building in Doral.
“Let’s go, Val! Let’s go, Val!” audience members chanted as Demings made her way on stage.
The challenge that lies before Demings is to convince Florida voters to choose her over her Republican opponent.
“With your help, I will be elected,” she said as attendees erupted in cheers.
Demings focused her Doral stop on discussing women’s reproductive rights in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. She highlighted the stark difference between her pro-choice views and Rubio’s pro-life views.
“We’re not going back, we’re not shutting up, we’re not sitting down,” she said. “We are going to fight and fight and fight some more.”
Demings was joined by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
“She has continued to champion public safety, civil rights, and she has fought tirelessly to protect the American dream so everyone can achieve it, just like she did,” said Levine Cava.
This was one of many South Florida stops Demings made throughout the day. Friday morning, Demings took part in a roundtable discussion with small business owners in Plantation.
Hours later, 7News cameras captured Demings as she spoke with parishioners at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, located along Douglas Road in Coconut Grove.
The candidate met with local civil rights advocate Thelma Gibson and addressed the importance of affordable housing throughout the state.
“God has been real good to me by me just standing here. I don’t need another title to feel important or good about myself. I am truly on a mission to help the people, to serve the people,” she said, “and the best way for me to do that and get it right is to come out and talk to you and not present my agenda, but to go back to Washington, D.C. and create an agenda that includes Coconut Grove.”
Her speech at the church was one of three stops she made in Coconut Grove. She also went to the Thelma Gibson Heritage Garden.
“I’m running to represent all people.” she said.
The campaign stops follow Thursday night’s rally in Tamarac, where she appeared alongside Crist and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, who ran against Crist in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
But unseating Rubio won’t be an easy task. Recent polls suggest it will be a tight race.
Earlier this week, Rubio released an ad as he made his case for reelection.
“We are going to win this November. Come out and vote, and make sure that other people vote,” he said in the ad. “We will save our country, and we will leave for our children what our parents, what our grandparents, what previous Americans left for us: the single greatest country in the history of all of mankind.”
Demings’ campaign stops take place as 7News sources said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist will announce Karla Hernandez-Mats, the president of the United Teachers of Dade, as his pick for lieutenant governor to take on DeSantis in the midterms.
Crist’s selection suggests he might focus on education during his campaign and highlight a stark contrast between DeSantis’ policies and those he would enact if he and Hernandez-Mats are elected.
Crist’s campaign officials have not confirmed the pick, but an official announcement is expected at a campaign event on Saturday.
Demigs is expected to attend another campaign event in Doral, titled the Women for Demings Launch, on Friday night alongside Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
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