Florida U.S. Senate Candidates Demings, Rubio making final pushes ahead of midterm election

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Both candidates running for the United States Senate were in Central Florida on Wednesday, making their final pushes ahead of the midterm elections. 

First thing Wednesday morning, Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings alongside her husband, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, cast their ballots for the 2022 midterm elections. Demings said, "It just feels good to have an opportunity to go in and cast my vote this morning."

Less than two weeks away from the midterms, candidates are finalizing their pitches to voters.

"Just think about the issues that are out there, and there’s a clear choice in this race," Demings continued. 

Across town, her opponent, Republican incumbent, Senator Marco Rubio was at the Florida Farm Bureau’s Annual meeting. He was presented with a ‘Friend of the Farm Bureau’ distinction as the organization announced its support for the senator’s re-election. This comes days after Senator Rubio made headlines after saying one of his campaign workers was attacked while canvassing a South Florida neighborhood over the weekend. 

Senator Rubio said, "It’s very disturbing, very unacceptable. I’m against political violence." He went on to say, "In this country, we decide elections, we decide political power at the ballot box, not through street and mob violence."

When asked about his optimism ahead of the election, he said, "If people turn out and vote, particularly people that agree with us, obviously, we’re going to win. If they don’t, we have a drop-off, in turn, out then I think it’s going to be a traditional close Florida race, but I feel very optimistic about that."

One thing the two candidates both agree on is the urgency to get people out and vote. "You do have a choice, and you do have a power. Your voice is your vote," Demings said.

You can find a full list of early voting dates and locations here . Election day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022.