As Ian bears down, campaigning continues for Marco Rubio and Val Demings

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'Donations have slowed down, and I'm starting to get worried.'

Storm prep stops a lot of campaign messaging. But not all of it, as both Marco Rubio and his opponent are continuing to eye the November election Monday night.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings isn’t letting Hurricane Ian’s fearsome trudge toward Florida slow down her fundraising push, even after coming off a month when she collected $7.8 million on ActBlue, as reported by POLITICO.

“I’m starting to worry about this,” Demings wrote. “After a recent poll showed me 1 point behind Marco Rubio, it’s absolutely critical that I reach my midnight fundraising deadline to take the lead in this race — because the winner will decide which party takes Senate control.”

“Donations have slowed down, and I’m starting to get worried that we’re losing momentum just as we’re closing in on Election Day (just over 6 weeks away) and when I need your support the most,” urged Demings, who raised $47.8 million through June.

A second fundraising email outlined the short-term goal.

“I urgently need to reach my $200,000 goal tonight to compete and win. But I’m still coming up $17,296 short,” she warned.

Demings’ emails went out Monday night, continuing a trend of aggressive plays for donations in the Senate race.

Rubio has become famous for the tactic of parlaying Fox News hits into campaign stumps, and the storm offered him yet another platform on Monday’s Hannity.

He bemoaned the “Marxist misfits” who back Demings, right after warning about potentially catastrophic storm impacts for Tampa.

As of the end of June, Rubio had raised $36,748,816, more than $11 million shy of Demings’ total. Demings’ fundraising strength has been a recurring topic during his interviews on friendly Fox.

“I need people’s help. We can’t get outspent and out-raised three to one because we can’t get our story out,” he said in July.

Rubio is following the example of U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, who repeatedly asked for funds on Fox during his successful re-election campaign last year. While hosts eventually caught on, the gimmick worked, and Graham returned to the Senate.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes for the New York Post and National Review also, with previous work in the American Conservative and Washington Times and a 15+ year run as a columnist in Folio Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


3 comments

  • meredith shaw

    September 27, 2022 at 4:42 am

    Rubio is such a twit. People arent backing Demings because they are Marxist. They are backing Demjngs because Rubio is an incompetent who has done nothing for Floridians and continues to spew this divisive bs, while strippibg Americans of their freedoms and rights

    • Hope

      September 27, 2022 at 7:02 am

      Democrats cannot give examples of their accomplishments so they resort to name calling their opponents. The Republicans have plans, platforms, and accomplishments and they have the benefit of the Democrats being “incompetent” so there will be a Republican sweep in only weeks. That will be the beginning of the tide turning and the nation starting to heal. A Republican House and Senate will turn this nation back to the right direction as the current Democrats have had devastating effects on our nation.

      • Ian

        September 27, 2022 at 9:15 pm

        “The tide is turning.”

        Oh I thought it was bearing down on your coast lol

Comments are closed.


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