Demings says defunding police is 'crazy' in first TV ad

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is using the first TV ad of her U.S. Senate campaign to highlight her law enforcement background and distance herself from progressives who have called for cuts to police funding.

“In the Senate I’ll protect Florida from bad ideas, like defunding the police. That’s just crazy,” Demings said in the ad, shared exclusively with NBC News. She ends the 30-second spot saying “It’s time to send a cop on the beat to the Senate.”

The ad, which will also air in Spanish, will be seen across the state as part of an eight-figure buy, according to the Demings campaign. The spot focuses solely on Demings’ work as a police officer and her time leading the police department in Orlando, where she was the first woman to serve as chief. 

While Demings’ first TV ad doesn’t mention her work in Congress, she garnered national attention as one of the House managers during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. She also was on President Joe Biden’s shortlist to be his running mate. 

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Demings’ national profile and focus on online fundraising has filled her campaign coffers, fueling the sizable first TV buy. Demings has slightly outraised GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, pulling in $30.8 million to Rubio’s $30.1 million as of March 31. 

Despite her fundraising strength, Demings faces a tough race against Rubio, who won a second term in 2016 by 8 percentage points. Trump won the state by XX points in 2020 after winning it by 1 point in 2016. The Cook Political Report rates the Florida Senate race Lean Republican.