open invitation

Can we please invite Val Demings to every Pride celebration from here on out?

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25 years ago, most politicians avoided Pride events on the campaign trail because of, well, homophobia. Nowadays, however, marching in one’s local Pride parade is almost a requirement for any candidate hoping to appeal to the 9 million (and counting) registered LGBTQ-identifying voters in America.

Some candidates attend Pride out of friendly obligation, others are so bad at it that it feels like pandering, and then there is Val Demings, who is currently challenging Marco Rubio for his U.S. Senate seat in Florida and who, after last week’s Pride celebration in Orlando, has earned herself a permanent invitation to the kiki.

Related: Marco Rubio was a puddle of sweat as Val Demings mopped the floor with him during last night’s debate

Demings attended Orlando Pride on October 15. Yesterday, she tweeted a video from the happy, rainbow-filled day set to Beyoncé’s song “Cuff It”, along with the caption: “Orlando showed its true colors at this year’s Pride parade. I couldn’t be happier to celebrate love and freedom with our LGBTQ+ community.”

And, judging by the joyful video, they couldn’t have been happier to celebrate with her either.

Demings cruised down Orlando’s Central Boulevard in the back of a bright red Chevy convertible, waving a rainbow flag and showing off her allyship, which felt honest, whole-hearted, and genuine.

Maybe because she has been an LGBTQ ally since, well, forever, co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act in July, was endorsed by the HRC, and has been a vocal critic of Ron DeSantis’ homophobic “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Not to mention, she’s running against a guy who supports “Don’t Say gay” laws, voted against codifying same-sex marriage into federal law, and opposes non-discrimination protections for queer people.

So, yeah, seeing her at Orlando Pride having a blast with LGBTQ constituents is notable. It’s also not the first time she’s partied with the gays.

In June, Demings attended another Pride celebration in Wilton Manors, where she showed off her impressive fan clapping skills while wearing a rainbow “We Say gay Here” t-shirt.

 

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A post shared by Val Demings (@valdemings)

Having Demings in the U.S. Senate would not only be a victory for Democrats, it would be a victory for LGBTQ people.

According to the last polling data from FiveThirtyEight, she’s trailing Rubio by roughly 4.8 points. Though technically considered a swing state, Florida has proven to be fairly reliable Republican turf in the last few election cycles.

Related: Val Demings quickly closes in on Marco Rubio in the polls and the heat is officially on

That said, the fact that Rubio’s lead is only in the single digits has many Democrats holding out hope for a Demings upset. Not to mention, when it comes to fundraising, she’s outraising him by tens of millions of dollars. As of September 30, she’s pulled in over $65 million, compared to his $37 million.

Of course polls, fundraising, and appearances at Pride aren’t what will determine who wins this race. That will ultimately happen on November 8, when Florida voters cast their ballots.

Here’s how followers responded to Demings’ fun Pride video on Twitter…

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