U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio racked up another impressive endorsement from Florida law enforcement officials.
Earlier this week, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, or FPCA, which represents more than 1,000 chiefs and senior law enforcement officials statewide, endorsed Rubio’s re-election bid.
The group’s vote of confidence in Rubio had to sting his likely Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Val Demings.
Demings worked in law enforcement for more than 25 years, including serving as Orlando’s chief of police before entering Congress.
“On behalf of the Florida Police Chiefs Association, we are honored to endorse Senator Marco Rubio for reelection to the U.S. Senate,” FPCA President Stephan Dembinsky, who also serves as director of the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department, said in a statement.
“Senator Rubio has been a consistent supporter of law enforcement in our nation’s capital, standing not just for public safety but for the health and welfare of law enforcement officers, even when it hasn’t been politically popular,” he added.
“The Florida Police Chiefs Association is proud to support Senator Rubio, and we look forward to continuing our work with him on behalf of the people of Florida.”
In response, Rubio issued his own comments, saying, “Florida’s law enforcement are vital to the safety and security of our communities. These men and women wake up every day not knowing what they might face that day, but they put on their uniforms anyway and go out and do their jobs.”
“I am honored that the Florida Police Chiefs Association has put their support behind me, and I promise to continue to fight for our law enforcement in Washington.”
The FPCA’s endorsement of Rubio came three months after the two-term senator received the backing of 55 of Florida’s 67 county sheriffs.
That list included Sheriffs Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, Charles Wells of Manatee County, Chris Nocco of Pasco County, Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County, Grady Judd of Polk County, and Kurt Hoffman of Sarasota County.
As The Free Press noted in February, Demings has tried to distance herself from the defund-the-police types in her party.
Whereas she once downplayed her former career – in 2020, when she was being considered Joe Biden’s VP, pick she changed her website from “Chief Val Demings for Congress” to “Val Demings for Congress” – she more recently has promoted her law enforcement background and been introduced as “chief” at events.
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