As election day draws near, the race for U.S. Senate in Florida heats up as Rep. Val Demings and Sen. Marco Rubio prepare to face off in a debate Tuesday night.
Demings, is a Democrat who has served in the House of Representatives since 2017, while Republican Rubio is looking to serve his third term as a U.S. Senator.
Some of the topics they look to discuss in Tuesday’s showdown will include abortion rights, inflation, and the cost of health care, which they both have made strong statements about in their campaign races.
Demings recently highlighted in a press release the predicted savings for Floridians on prescription drugs and health care in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act to save Floridians thousands of dollars on prescription drugs, health care, and household costs,” Demings said. “As the daughter of a maid and a janitor, every dollar mattered in our household, and I’ll always fight to protect working families. I’m proud that we worked to put Florida families over pharmaceutical company profits.”
Rubio has been running a more low-key campaign, but recent polls suggests he is entering this debate with a bit of a lead on Demings.
Although running a more conservative race, Rubio did take a hard stance on the future of American families with the Providing For Life Act, in which he deemed “a pro-family plan for a post-Roe America.”
For years, I have emphasized that Congress can and must do more for unborn children and their mothers,” Rubio said. “We need to adopt pro-life policies that support families, rather than destroy them. This comprehensive legislation would make a real difference to American parents and children in need.”
Although Demings’ poll is showing that she is falling behind in the race, national summary statistics show that over 1.5 million people have already voted and 53 percent of those voters are registered Democrats.
Even in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Florida has made up for over 700,000 of those votes with 42% of those voters being Democrats compared with 39% registered Repubulicans.
The debate will be held at 7 p.m. at Palm Beach State College’s Lake Worth Beach campus and moderated by WPBF 25 News Anchor Todd McDermott. With Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order to extend early voting, voters will be able to cast their ballots from Oct. 24 to Election Day, Nov. 8.
In other news
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have their home opener tonight. Lightning’s home opener will also mark the end of their Florida Strong Silent Auction, which is raising money for hurricane relief efforts in areas devastated by Hurricane Ian.
- Duke Energy is passing on a corporate tax savings of about $56 million to their customers. If the proposal is approved through the Public Service Commission, customers can see a cheaper bill starting January 2023.
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