By
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is out with the first ad of his Senate re-election campaign, where he attacks his Democratic opponent, Rep. Val Demings, for "turning her back on law enforcement."
The ad features a variety of Florida sheriffs. One tells viewers, "Demings votes with Pelosi 100% of the time."
Another says, "She called abolishing the police 'thoughtful.'"
A third tells voters, "Val Demings is just another radical rubber stamp."
The commercial is part of a joint ad buy with the NRSC, Senate Republicans' campaign arm. According to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, Rubio's campaign and the NRSC have so far booked almost $465,000 worth of time on the airwaves through Election Day, but that could change.
In the same time frame, Demings has booked over $1 million of ad time for her own campaign ads. She's also previously spent over $11 million on ads in the state so far, compared to Rubio's $835,000 through today.
“I spent twenty-seven years protecting and serving Florida, fighting to make sure we are all safer,” Demings said in a statement responding to Rubio's ad. “Rubio spent decades climbing the political ladder to serve his own self interest at the expense of Florida. But this is what politicians do: when they have to go up against a solid record of public service, they resort to smearing others and try to offer alternative facts. I was the police and Marco knows it. He should be ashamed of himself but I guess fear has no shame.”
According to recent fundraising reports, Demings has also significantly outraised Rubio in the campaign so far.
According to recent FEC reports, Demings has raised over $12 million in the second quarter of this year, while Rubio raised over $4.5 million in the same time period.
Overall, Demings has raised over $43 million this cycle, while Rubio has raised over $34 million. He leads slightly in cash on hand though, with over $14.5 million on hand compared to Demings' $12.5 million on hand.