Marco Rubio and Val Demings faced off last night in the Florida U.S. Senate debate that literally ended with the anti-LGBTQ lawmaker wiping the sweat from his forehead with a damp handkerchief while she received thunderous applause from the crowd.
The 60-minute broadcast was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates and covered a wide range of topics, from gun control to abortion rights to the economy and immigration reform.
Demings tore into Rubio about his response to the Pulse nightclub shooting and his record on gun control…
Demings: You used the Pulse nightclub shooting as your inspiration to run again in 2016 and yet you’ve done nothing.. nothing pic.twitter.com/hr5rxt0lx8
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 18, 2022
She also took him to task for his stance on abortion…
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Demings: As a police detective who investigated cases of rape and incest, no Senator I don’t think it’s ok for a girl to be raped and to carry the seed of her rapist. No I don’t think it’s ok for you to make decisions for women and girls pic.twitter.com/IBfYDCVtVB
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 18, 2022
And she got in a few good zingers along the way, including this moment when she said he has “never run anything at all but his mouth.”
Demings: Of course the Senator who has never run anything at all but his mouth would know nothing about helping people… pic.twitter.com/wSjf5AljZ5
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 18, 2022
And then there was her powerful closing statement, which left Rubio, by now dripping in sweat, looking like a sad, wet puppy dog while she received a round of applause from the room…
Val Demings’ closing statement starts with Marco Rubio mopping up his flop sweat and ends with the moderator laughing at him and the audience erupting in thunderous applause for her
I think we can all agree she won the debate pic.twitter.com/25KSEz7ST2
— Qondi (@QondiNtini) October 19, 2022
According to the last polling data from FiveThirtyEight, Demings is trailing Rubio by roughly 4.6 points. Though technically considered a swing state, Florida has proven to be fairly reliable Republican turf in the last few election cycles.
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 even spirited debate performances aren’t what will ultimately determine who wins this race. That will ultimately happen on November 8, when Florida voters cast their ballots.
Related: Val Demings quickly closes in on Marco Rubio in the polls and the heat is officially on
Having Demings in the U.S. Senate would not only be a victory for Democrats, it would be a victory for LGBTQ people. The former-police-chief-turned-U.S.-congresswoman, who has been endorsed by HRC, is a longtime a champion for marginalized groups, especially LGBTQ people, Black people, and women.
Rubio, on the other hand, is about as antigay as they come.
In June, he voted against codifying same-sex marriage into federal law. He also opposes non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people as well as gender neutral bathrooms. And he voted against Pete Buttigieg being the first out Secretary of Transportation and Rachel Levin being the first openly trans assistant secretary for health. Oh, and he has a 0% rating with the HRC.
Here’s how folx on Twitter reacted to last night’s debate…
Last known location of Marco Rubio on the debate stage: pic.twitter.com/PzCF24fcSM
— Dan Eldredge ✍🏻🇺🇲🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇺🇦 (@dweldredge) October 19, 2022
Val Demings is the truth. Lil’ Marco is a sock puppet with a hole in the toe.
— Larry Middleton – Democracy Forward 2022! 💙🇺🇸🌻 (@l78lancer) October 19, 2022
Florida, I know you’ve been through some things but I need you to help yourself. Vote Val.
— Sheila (@MsBHaven) October 19, 2022
Did anyone else think Rubio seemed visibly distraught last night? He looked pale and disoriented, like he was either under some sort of influence. That, or just the realization that he was being dismantled by Val Demings in real time.
— Darren Mart (@buddyknavery) October 19, 2022
After his debate performance, Senator Marco should apply for Florida disaster relief.
Great work, Rep. Demings!
— Geoff Coe (@wildimagesfla) October 19, 2022
The most telling thing is – Rubio cannot even look her in the eye. She is every woman out here.
— Monica Hall (@jojo71) October 19, 2022
We need to put Val Demings, Stacey Abrams, and Katie Porter in charge of everything.
— The USA Singers (@TheUSASingers) October 19, 2022
As my great aunt would say, Miss Demings just kicked a touchdown right in his balls. 😱
— 🏳️🌈shiobanDelCruz 👭 (@DeShioban) October 19, 2022
Got an hour to spare? Watch the entire showdown below.
Fahd
It´s situations like this that make one wonder where the national Democratic party is at. They should be putting every resource at their disposal into unseating Rubio. Demings would make a great replacement for Kamela Harris on the 2024 national ticket if she doesn´t win this one.
andrewmpls
They’re in other states that are more winnable. FL is pretty much gone for Dems for the time being. The current crop of retirees are the most conservative Republican generation in recent memory. JFK Democrats are dying off and being replaced with people who grew up with Reagan.
Plato
Every Democrat’s ad should be shown/told over a picture of Trump’s brownshirts trying like hell to overthrow our government. (or maybe Joan Crawford holding up a bloody wire coat hanger.)
Has America forgotten about American women’s lives before Roe and The Pill. (white GOP politicians won’t be happy until all women are back in the kitchen droppin’ babies as God intended.)
If men could get pregnant, you would be able to get an abortion at every Walgreens – and contraception at every McDonalds drive through!
America is within 2 elections of becoming a fascist dictatorship. This is not hyperbole.
WAKE-UP AMERICA – before it’s too late!
p.s. Start fighting like Republicans- dirty and below the belt.
p.p.s. I love Michelle- but when they go low, we need to go lower. (Is there no Democrat that can belly-up with the Orange Jaba?)
Losing with honor is not acceptable….
p.p.s. And allowing an abortion in cases of rape or incest only IS NOT ACCEPTABLE wtf is going on?
When Republicans say: “OK, we won’t ask for a Dr. that performs an abortion to be put to death, just life behind bars”. NO! This is not acceptable!
Why aren’t we filling the streets? Is American democracy and way of life not worth fighting for?
Sorry for the ramble but I am pissed… watching my America go down the drain.
(But I’m old, this is a fight for the young.)
abfab
Thank you and high praise to you, Plato. Right on! Write on!
It’s been said before but if men got pregnant, abortion would be a Sacrament.
gayconservative
So you offer a political opinion that is based on??????? According to polls, Rubio is going to win. Also what exactly has Rubio done that is anti-gay? Why support a candidate who is going against the profession she was once a major part of?
ZzBomb
I would offer up an entire litany of reasons Rubio is anti-lgbtq+ but you identify as a “gay conservative” which means you already severely suffer from cognitive dissonance and have acute aversion to facts.
abfab
Your contribution today is anti-gay.
dbmcvey
The article wasn’t about whether he’ll win the election or not, it was about how terrible his performance in the debate was.
What has Rubio done that is positive towards gay people. For that matter, what has he done that helps in any way? What has he done to solve any real problem ever? What has he done other than engage in silly culture wars?
Whether he wins or not, he’s a shell of a person. “Little Marco” was devastated by the past President but is still a walking corpse.
cuteguy
@gayconservative
Go back to Faux News where you are hated more than your are hated here
Agility
Some of his anti-gay positions are literally in the article you are commenting on.
andrewmpls
He said voting for marriage equality was a waste of time. He thinks you are a waste of time just like everyone else here. Girl, bye.
Mister P
He clearly said he was against the Respect for Marriage ACT. That’s very anti-gay.
taylor94
Marco Rubio, the rumored closeted gay man who goes out of his way to push an anti-gay agenda. His latest commercials actually state that if elected ” Val Demings will turn your boys into girls”. Yes, words he actually says while showing photos of a drag queen reading to children. Marco Rubio, the moral compass of Florida, who wrote a book creating a false history of his heritage. Marco Rubio, the hypocrite, that blames Val Demings and her party for creating our massive inflation with huge government bailout. However, in his own commercial Rubio takes full credit for his sponsorship and crafting of the Care Act PPP program which was a trillion dollar giveaway flooding our economy with so much cash in a short period, it clearly sparked much of the inflation we are experiencing today. Unfortunately, Demings has placed too much of her advertising into the abortion issue and not the economy. A last ditch campaign from Demings should not focus on what Rubio has not done as an absent Senator, but rather focus on the damage that he has done the few times the Senator showed up to vote.
andrewmpls
Since when he has been rumored to be gay?
ZzBomb
The sad thing is, the better candidate won’t win this race. The right doesn’t care about debate, they care about hate.
Doug
And this is the sad thing that continues to happen all over the U.S. I really believe that a large section of Republicans are more interested in voting for people like Trump, Green and Rubio not because of all the damage their values and policies will create, but just to spite Democrats.
dbmcvey
Sadly, he’ll probably still win.
barryaksarben
You may not like the democrat candidates but they are far and away better than the very best GOP candidate. Look at that pos chick from Hawaii Tulsa or what er. She lied about ever being a dem. she was put up to drain honest dem votes in the last presidential election.She has NEVER been a real dem just another LIE from the right. The right is dishonest to its very core. Never trust a liar in your personal life or in your politics and they are led by the biggest liar that ever walked. HE will forever be known as “THE BIG LIE”. I can’t think of a worse thing to have attached to my memory. AND GET OUT SND VOTE NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE even if it is a dark red state make you stand to save this country and to keep them from taking our rights from us as they will. NO matter what they say they are lying. Look at the trolls that come here every day saying they are gay. BULLSHIT! they are trolls and nothing more aND WE ALL KNOW WHO THEY ARE DONT WE.
still_onthemark
Send a few bucks to her campaign site, every little bit helps!
Ken A.
HRC endorsements holds as much water as colander.
humble charlie
“val demings” ! what a great name for a politician!
it’s always interesting when a woman has more testosterone than the man she is debating.
Kangol2
She. Is. Fierce.
Floridians, you have a clear choice, Don the Con’s little sad shell of an anti-gay puppet Marco Rubio, or someone who will really fight for you and our future, Val Demings!
abfab
Unfortch that Calle Ocho has such a tight grip on this man.
1967Man
You are crazy and your analysis reveals that you are not objective. I’m Left of Left, and I watched the debate, and he cleaned her clock. It was like watching a cat play with a ball of yarn, which made me so sad that I wanted to cry. I want her to win, but he beat her like a drum. I expected/hoped for/wanted so much more from her. She should be Vice President. Instead, she’s getting her clocked clean by “little Marco.”
Neoprene
Voting can be so triggering. We can’t possibly expect people struggling with their pronouns to vote.
dbmcvey
So, you’re triggered by pronouns. You know how sad that is, right?
dbmcvey
Sent a contribution yesterday!