JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sheriffs from across Florida came together in Jacksonville on Monday morning to voice their support for Republicans Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, both of whom are up for reelection later this year.
DeSantis has the support of 59 of the state’s 67 sheriffs while Rubio is backed by 55 sheriffs, a group spokesperson said during two separate news conferences held at the Hyatt Regency downtown.
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A small group of 12 sheriffs, including Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook, stood behind Rubio, who is running for reelection against Democrat and Jacksonville native U.S. Rep. Val Demings.
Some sheriffs and Rubio took shots at Demings, a former police chief.
“When you inject the spirit of lawlessness in a culture in a society, you embolden the lawless, and in the end, the men and women standing behind me and the men or women that work for them are the ones that have to respond to it and have a very difficult job,” Rubio said. “And so I think it’s especially sickening when people who should know better, like Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate for U.S. Senate, Val Demings, she should know better. It’s even worse when someone who knows better and should know better decides to align themselves with this effort to call into question the work that law enforcement is doing.”
After the event, the Florida Democratic Party issued a statement: Marco Rubio can’t run from his vote against billions of dollars for state and local governments that have helped fund police departments across the country, including over $200 million in Florida used to give pay bonuses to Florida first responders and law enforcement.
“Marco Rubio fought tooth and nail against critical funding that Florida police departments need to keep people safe. Try as he might to cover that up, Floridians won’t forget that Marco Rubio put his political agenda ahead of our state’s first responders and police officers,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Grant Fox.
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The race between Demings and Rubio has been heating up lately ahead of the general election in November.
The two recently clashed over the failed national voting rights legislation.
Demings criticized Rubio for voting against the legislation, saying he was playing partisan games because he’s “too cowardly to face voters at the ballot box.”
The group of sheriffs that stood behind DeSantis on Monday morning was much larger and they praised the governor for the $1,000 bonuses issued to law enforcement officers and what they called his strong stance on crime.
RELATED: Violent crime trends down sharply in Jacksonville in 2021 | Overall crime rate drops, but Jacksonville is still the murder capital of Florida
“While the rest of the country faces crime rates are rising at alarming levels, today more than ever before, people are moving their families, their homes and their businesses to Florida,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. “They’re moving to our great state because they know that with Gov. DeSantis at the helm, they will be safe.”
Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge DeSantis, along with U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who served as Florida governor for a single term before running for other offices. State Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat, is also in the mix.