Democratic Rep. Val Demings, former chief of the Orlando Police Department is running against Republican Marco Rubio for Senate.
Her first television advertisement highlights her prior tenure as the chief of the Orlando Police Department, TampaBay.com reports.
Rubio’s camp is trying to cast her as a defund the police Democrat.
“When he says I want to defund the police — I am the police!” Demings told reporters after a recent event, referring to claims from her opponent. “Does that make any sense? I mean, come on.”
When asked how she plans to toe the line between being pro-law enforcement and anti-police brutality, Demings said she would push for policies that put officers in a position to succeed. She said too often, society depends on officers to handle difficult mental health or substance abuse situations. Officers need more training and more support, not less, she said.
She also noted police departments need to take action against officers abusing their positions.
