Biden Postpones Florida Rally That Demings Was Ditching

With a strengthening Hurricane Ian churning north through the Gulf of Mexico, the White House has postponed President Joe Biden’s Tuesday trip to Florida.

Biden was scheduled to pitch his proposals to lower health care costs and protect Medicare and Social Security at a Fort Lauderdale gathering before heading to Orlando for a Democratic National Committee rally Sept. 27 on behalf of Democratic candidates.

While Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), the former GOP governor running against incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, was among candidates set to attend the Orlando rally, several announced plans to be elsewhere. Biden’s approval rating among Florida voters was 43 percent, according to a Sept. 8 Insider Advantage FOX 35 Orlando poll. He lost in 2020 by roughly 3 percentage points to former President Donald Trump.

Most conspicuously otherwise occupied was Orlando’s former police chief, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), who is seeking to unseat two-term U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (D-Fla.) in their Nov. 8 election.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks during the “Keep Florida Free Tour” at Pepin’s Hospitality Center, in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 24, 2022. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)

Demings’ campaign last week said she could not attend the Orlando rally, citing “commitments in Congress” that require her to be in Washington, D.C. this week where both chambers are in session.

The House, however, is in a two-day recess until Sept. 28 in celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

Demings on Sept. 22 presided over the House when it adopted her proposed “Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act” in a 250-178 tally that garnered approval from 30 Republicans.

The bill provides federal funding for local police departments to hire victim support staff and more investigators. It is one of four bills that boost funding for law enforcement agencies either introduced or co-sponsored since 2021 by

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases