Scott Powers
Democrat Val Demings has earned the endorsement of Connecticut’s Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy in her run to win Florida’s 10th Congressional District in Orlando.
Murphy has become one of the congressional leaders calling for gun control, a passionate position he’s held since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He’s organizing an effort called The Fund To End Gun Violence, aimed at helping elect candidates committed to combatting gun violence.
“I need Val Demings by my side in Congress,” Murphy stated in a news release issued by Demings’ campaign. “The public debate is over — an overwhelming 90 percent of Americans are already with us. What we need now is to elect a new Congress that reflects the will of the voters, and electing these candidates will help ensure we get closer to that goal.”
Demings, a former Orlando police chief and 27-year veteran of the Orlando police department, faces three other candidates in the Aug. 30 Democratic congressional primary for CD 10, which covers west Orlando and west Orange County. The others, Fatima Rita Fahmy, Bob Poe and state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, also have come out strongly for various gun control measures. The winner will face Republican nominee Thuy Lowe, who has more traditional gun-rights positions.
“I am so grateful to receive the support of Sen. Murphy, who has been a strong and needed voice in Washington for gun violence prevention,” Demings stated in the news release. “I was cheering on Sen. Murphy’s filibuster from Orlando, which now bears the title of being home to the worst mass shooting in the United States. Ending gun violence has been priority of mine throughout my 27-year career in law enforcement. As police chief, I created a program that was able to remove over 3,300 crime guns from the streets of Orlando. As congresswoman, I will stand with Sen. Murphy and Democrats in the fight for responsible and sensible legislation. It’s time the gun lobby stops hijacking the conversation and Americans get the change they want, and deserve.”
