Why rubio won

Rubio left no doubt well ahead of the vote that he would be a no on the American Rescue Plan package. Andrew Cuomo , facing serial accusations of sexual harassment from former staffers and associates. Gancarski has been a correspondent for FloridaPolitics. In , he was a finalist for an Association of Alternative Newsweeklies "best political column. Toughness is hard to show when you can't point to a job where you've had to make tough calls, but while Bush's resume has prepared him for the kinds of leadership challenges a president will face, to voters, that exchange makes it look like Rubio is the more commanding one.

It was the kind of flourish Bush needed to show in this debate. Instead, Rubio showed it. It was that kind of night for Bush, and he's now going to have to endure days of suggestions that he should replace the exclamation point with a period and end his campaign. Rubio also took on the moderators, turning a question about his personal finances into a paean to his humble roots.

Later he said the press was a super PAC for Hillary Clinton's campaign, complaining that the conclusions from pundits about her Benghazi testimony were too favorable. It was a great line and well received by the audience. He seemed to have those kinds of lines at every turn. This is theater review, but that's what these debates are as political events. They all had good nights. Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us chucktodd , mmurraypolitics , DomenicoNBC , brookebrower.

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. In , after 27 years with the Orlando Police Department, Demings retired.

Her husband, Jerry Demings, was elected mayor of Orange County, the fifth most populous county in the state, in Daniel Webster in , but she lost that race narrowly, 52 percent to 48 percent. She won a court-ordered redrawn seat in If you'd like to see what I wrote about Demings after interviewing her almost 10 years ago, click here. Sign up for the daily JWR update.

It's free. Just click here. Demings was reportedly on Biden's short list for a running mate. But her two terms in the House hardly prepared her for a presidential race, let alone the presidency, so it is difficult to take those rumors too seriously. Money shouldn't be a problem for her — or Rubio. Florida is the third-most populous state, and it could determine control of the Senate, so state and national campaign contributors will be eager to spend money in the state. Demings should have appeal among core Democratic constituencies, but she may have to deal with some softening of support among Cuban American voters in South Florida.

Florida's presidential exit poll found Obama squeezing out a 49 percent to 47 percent win over Romney among those respondents who identified as Cuban. But in , Trump carried Florida voters of Cuban descent, 56 percent to 42 percent, suggesting that Republicans were making progress defining Democrats and Biden as too sympathetic to socialism. But the state isn't a toss-up, nor is this race.

The midterm dynamic should benefit Rubio, and it's hard to see Demings making dramatic inroads among voters who supported Trump last year. The challenger will likely need to run a flawless race and take advantage of a Rubio stumble or two.

Strong Black turnout will be crucial for Demings, as will continuing support from younger voters and non-Cuban Hispanics.