TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has won a third term, defeating U.S. Rep. Val Demings and holding a key seat as the GOP tried to regain control of a closely divided Senate.
Rubio ran a campaign pulled from the Republican playbook, tying Demings to President Joe Biden and hammering her on issues like spending, rising inflation and a crisis at the southern border.
The Republican was helped by shifting voter registration numbers in a state that has become increasingly red. Demings was vying to become Florida’s first Black senator.
She was Orlando’s first female police chief before being elected to the House six years ago.
