VAL DEMINGS

"What happened to you, man?" asked fellow Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

The Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection by pro-Trump supporters and right-wing group members shattered the sense of security that many had long felt at the Capitol as rioters forcefully delayed the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Around three dozen Democrats were trapped in the House gallery on Jan. 6 after the rest of their colleagues had been evacuated, ducking beneath their seats as supporters of former President Donald Trump laid siege.

A year after the Jan. 6 insurrection, some of the lawmakers who were trapped in the upper House balcony that day are still recovering from lingering trauma.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy says she will not seek reelection next year.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is taking Big Business to task.

The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs.

About a half-dozen police chiefs and high-ranking law enforcement officers are running for higher office more than a year after George Floyd’s murder prompted debate over police reform and whether to slash law enforcement funding.

The first congressional meeting to address widespread, pro-democracy protests that ricocheted throughout Cuba on July 11 turned into a referendum on the U.S. government’s longtime embargo.

The tragedy in Surfside, Florida, is exposing voters to a different side of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for a reelection bid next year that could propel him into a presidential campaign.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination that says it has "justice in its DNA,” has launched its General Conference.

Voters elected us to fix problems and we should. Yes, the other party might take power and pass bills I think are bad, but that's how democracy works.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is terribly predictable.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken a formal step toward sending a bill to President Joe Biden that designates the site of the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in American history as a national memorial.

South Floridians, especially those in Miami-Dade, have just won a front-row seat to what is expected to be one of the most heated Senate races in the country in the 2022 midterms — the state’s senior Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami vs. Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Orlando, who just announced her candidacy. or Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell. And that’s just so far.

Earlier this week, the Senate unanimously passed legislation designating Pulse, a gay nightclub in Florida, a national memorial.

Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings launches campaign for Marco Rubio's Senate seat

The Florida Democrat made her Senate bid official Wednesday with a campaign announcement video.

The Florida Democrat made her Senate bid official Wednesday with a campaign announcement video.

U.S. Rep. Val Demings has launched a bid for the U.S. Senate, raising hope among Democrats of ousting Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from the evenly divided chamber.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings officially announced a bid for Republican Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate seat on Wednesday, giving Democrats a high-profile candidate in one of the nation’s most competitive 2022 Senate contests.

Black women are stepping up as Democratic candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate as the party looks to expand its footprint in Sun Belt battlegrounds.

Jennifer McClellan remembers her parents' recounting life as Black Virginians enduring segregation and the trauma and triumph of the civil rights movement. “There weren’t a lot of role models ... examples of Black women” in power, said McClellan in an interview. McClellan's candidacy alongside fellow primary candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy demonstrates the rising political power of Black women, long a foundation of Democratic victories, and more recently, as candidates and officeholders, from Vice President Kamala Harris to mayors in Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco.

As he heads into his 2022 reelection campaign, Florida's Ron DeSantis has emerged from the political uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic as arguably the country’s most prominent Republican governor.

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggled to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats readied to pounce. The state's economy was in tatters, infections and deaths were on the rise and there were doubts about the Republican's plan to lead Florida out of crisis. Now that the pandemic appears to be waning and DeSantis is heading into his reelection campaign next year, he has emerged from the political uncertainty as one of the most prominent Republican governors and an early White House front-runner in 2024 among Donald Trump's acolytes, if the former president doesn't run again.

Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy said Monday she is dropping her previously planned bid to unseat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio next year, Politico reports.Driving the news: The decision comes after Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) — who was on Biden's shortlist for vice president — announced last week she plans to run for Rubio's seat, rather than pursue a run for governor.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.What she's saying: “The reality is that Marco Rubio will not be an easy opponent especially if it’s on the heels of a bruising primary where Democrats spend millions attacking each other instead of using those millions to build the infrastructure we desperately need to win,” Murphy said in a written statement, per Politico. She plans to seek re-election to the House next year. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

As a House vote on a bipartisan commission to study the Capitol insurrection made clear, it’s Trumpists vs. the truth.

The Florida congresswoman and former Orlando police chief also considered running for governor.

The former Orlando, Florida, police chief is in her third term in the U.S. House. She is expected to announce her campaign for the Senate soon.

Demings had been rumored to be laying the groundwork for a possible gubernatorial campaign to take on the Sunshine State's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Democrat was on President Biden's short list for a running mate in the 2020 presidential election. Demings, a former Orlando police chief, was first elected to the House in 2016.

Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive 2022 race that could decide control of the Senate.

Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge Sen. Marco Rubio next year, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive race that could be among a handful that determine control of the Senate, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The move ends mounting speculation over the Orlando congresswoman's political future. In focusing on the Senate instead, Demings could quickly become a front-runner among Democrats and tap into a national network of fundraisers to help finance what will likely be an expensive campaign.

Crist, who is running as a Democrat, last served as governor as a Republican.

Crist, who is running as a Democrat, last served as governor as a Republican.

Demings is a former chief of the Orlando Police Department.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Florida Congresswoman Val Demings, that aired Sunday, April 11, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

Congresswoman Val Demings and Sherrilyn Ifill appear on Sunday's "Face the Nation"

City agencies in Arlington, Texas, have been cut by up to 8%, with officials bracing for more later this year. AdA bipartisan group of mayors notes that aid should be the easy part. A Republican, Williams has joined Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to lead the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ lobbying effort for local aid. State and local lobbies tried again in a second round of COVID-19 aid but were left out altogether. AdMayors attributed the rebuff to McConnell blocking state and local aid as leverage against Democrats who opposed Republicans’ provision to shield businesses' immunity from lawsuits related to COVID-19.

Biden is expected to address the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that calls on political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning. The breakfast has sparked controversy in the past, particularly when President Donald Trump used last year's installment to slam his political opponents and question their faith. Ad“For so many in our nation, this is a dark, dark time,” Biden told those watching the event. During the 2020 breakfast, Trump singled out Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who had voted to convict the president during his first impeachment trial. The event went entirely virtual this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with Biden and all other speakers appearing via taped remarks.

This undated image provided by the United States Capitol Police shows U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, of injuries sustained during the riot at the Capitol. One Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered during the riot. Another disturbing video shows a bloodied police officer screaming for help as he’s crushed by protesters inside the Capitol building. Still, the riot — and Sicknick's death — focused renewed attention on Capitol Police, a force of more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees that protects the Capitol, lawmakers, staff and visitors. Capitol Police turned them down both times, according to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. The tragedy deepened late Thursday as a Capitol police officer injured in the melee died, the fifth death related to the riot. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick died from injuries sustained responding to the riot on Wednesday at the Capitol. The procedure allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president unfit for office. Black lawmakers, in particular, noted the way the mostly white Trump supporters were treated.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., stops to look at damage in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday. ”Make no mistake: these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. D.C. police said Thursday that 68 people were arrested, while Capitol police said 14 were arrested, most for unlawful entry. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police “were not prepared” for what took place Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – Lawmakers are vowing an investigation into how law enforcement handled Wednesday’s violent breach at the Capitol, questioning whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building. U.S. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. Three other people died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police "were not prepared for today.

FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, the entrance to the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is closed in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Squeezed by limits on attendance at its theme parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic, The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, it planned to lay off 28,000 workers in its parks division in California and Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., reacts as she speaks at a town hall event at the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. In choosing Harris, Biden embraced a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan Kamala Harris For the People, a reference to her courtroom work. Some Biden confidants said Harris debate attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

But the recent college graduate had long heard stories from his grandfather recounting the days of oppression in Cuba under Fidel Castro. Even for some young Cubans, the congresswoman's remarks are troubling and a reminder that Castro still stirs strong passions. The Pew Research Center estimates that nearly a third of Floridas Hispanic voters have roots in Cuba. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban American, has called the congresswoman a Castro sympathizer." But his real worry is that Republicans would use Bass' remarks as distraction from what he called the more important goal of electing Biden.

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., gives her opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington. Demings is among the women Joe Biden is considering for his vice presidential running mate. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)ORLANDO, Fla. Val Demings has already been vice president. We created an environment of inclusion, Hartley said, recalling how she and Demings invited white students to join. In sixth grade, she was part of a group of black students bused to a predominantly white school 15 miles from home as part of desegregation. Being the first Blacks to integrate Loretta Elementary School wasnt always the best, most fun experience, Demings said. One lady called my district office and said, Well, why is she trying to dress like a white woman?" Demings said.

WASHINGTON Democrat Joe Biden said Monday that he is getting extensive briefings from lawyers vetting candidates for vice president and plans to have personal discussions with his final choices for running mate. The presumptive presidential nominee said on MSNBCs The ReidOut that he is getting a "two-hour vetting report" on his VP contenders. Biden has been under some pressure to choose a Black woman as his vice presidential candidate in a nod to the constituency's role as the most dependable Democratic base of voters. He would not commit Monday to selecting a Black woman when asked on MSNBC, saying only, "I am not committed to naming any but the people I have named, and among them there are four Black women. So, that decision is underway right now.Among the Black women Biden is believed to be considering are California Sen. Kamala Harris, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Rep. Val Demings, California Rep. Karen Bass and former Obama administration official Susan Rice.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. Multiple polls suggest that a majority of voters, including many Republicans, simply don't believe what Trump says about the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump also refused to say whether he would accept the results of the general election. Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor and a Trump ally, tells us that he sees no clear strategy coming from the Trump campaign. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

Harris wouldn't comment on her vice presidential prospects, saying her top priority is for Biden to pick someone who will help defeat President Donald Trump. Brian Brokaw, who managed her 2010 campaign for attorney general, said its easier for Harris to be herself outside the scrutiny of a presidential campaign. We need people who are going to be in these offices that will be true champions for the causes of the oppressed, McBride said of Harris' vice presidential prospects. He suggested Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is white, would be a better vice presidential nominee. But DeJear, Harris' Iowa campaign chairwoman, said the vice presidency could provide an opportunity for Harris to drill down on reforming the criminal justice system.

But following the outrage over the police killing of George Floyd last month, many Democratic strategists say there's growing consensus that the pick should be a Black woman. Like it or not, I think the question is starting to become, Well, why not a Black woman? said Karen Finney, a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. Finney, who was one of 200 Black women who signed a letter to Biden encouraging him to select a Black woman for his ticket, warned that the former vice president could face a backlash if he chose a white woman. Gretchen Whitmer, said last month that she had opening conversations with Bidens team about potentially serving as vice president. Heitkamp said she's long believed Biden should choose a Black woman, in part because of the current political climate, but also because Black women are some of the Democratic Party's most loyal voters.

But some black leaders say Warren's progressive politics, economic populism and specific policy proposals addressing everything from maternal mortality to the coronavirus could put her in a strong position. But some black leaders say Warren's progressive politics, economic populism and specific policy proposals addressing everything from maternal mortality to the coronavirus could put her in a strong position. She gave a memorable speech in Atlanta in November on empowering black women and combating institutional racism that some African American leaders laud as prescient. I think that she could be an interesting and compelling pick for Vice President Biden in regards to reaching out to African American voters, Garvin said. Some 61% of African American voters supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast surveys in 17 states that voted between Feb. 3 and March 17.

In this June 11, 2020, photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable on economic reopening with community members in Philadelphia. Bidens search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)WASHINGTON Joe Bidens search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama's national security adviser. The campaign's list includes several black women, including Harris and Rice.

WASHINGTON Joe Bidens search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. Democrats with knowledge of the process said Bidens search committee has narrowed the choices to as few as six serious contenders after initial interviews. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama's national security adviser. Those familiar with Biden's search spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the process. The campaign's short list includes several black women, including Harris and Rice.

WASHINGTON Joe Bidens search for a running mate could be reshaped by the police killing of George Floyd and the unrest it has ignited across the country, raising questions about contenders with law-and-order backgrounds and intensifying pressure on the presumptive Democratic nominee to select a black woman. Biden, who has already pledged to pick a woman, has cast a wide net in his search. Biden was pressed to pick a black woman on Monday when he visited a black church in Wilmington, Delaware. Well, weve never seen a black woman selected as a vice presidential candidate, she said. Its important for him to see the candidate, talk to the candidate, get body language from the candidate.

WASHINGTON Joe Biden vowed to address institutional racism in his first 100 days in office as he sought to elevate his voice Monday in the exploding national debate over racism and police brutality. The former vice president also said he'd be releasing an economic plan focused on education, housing and access to capital" and investments, especially for minority Americans, later this month. I think this tidal wave is moving, Biden told the mayors of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and St. Paul, Minnesota. The vice president came to hear from us. I dont expect anything from the black community," Biden said Monday, insisting he has never taken its support for granted.

It is an approach that carries the risk of being drowned out by the much louder, more persistent voice of Trump. On Sunday, his campaign released a photo of him visiting the site of protests in Wilmington. Demings said she has also offered to have discussions with the Biden campaign on criminal justice reforms. In early May, he released his Plan for Black America, an economic- and education-focused agenda that included marijuana decriminalization. Much of Biden's campaign strategy centers on trying to draw a contrast with Trump on temperament and values.

FILE - In this July 17, 2019, file photo, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms invoked that history in a passionate and deeply personal plea for protesters to go home. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms invoked that history in a passionate and deeply personal plea for protesters to go home. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn't do this to our city, Bottoms said Friday night. The 50-year-old Bottoms was elected mayor in 2017 and previously served on the City Council.

WASHINGTON Joe Biden lamented the open wound of the nation's systemic racism on Friday as he responded to the police killing of a black man in Minnesota. As the country endures another spasm of racial unrest, the central premise of Bidens campaign is being tested. He clearly condemned it.By Friday afternoon, Trump sought to acknowledge the shocking circumstances of Floyds death while commending law enforcement. Biden, without mentioning Trump by name, made clear he would approach the presidency differently. This is no time to encourage violence, Biden said.

Neither public rivals nor personal friends, Bottoms and Stacey Abrams spent years climbing parallel ladders from nearby outposts at Atlanta City Hall and the Georgia Capitol. Now the Atlanta mayor and the former Georgia governor candidate find themselves at the same political intersection on Joe Biden's list of potential running mates. Bottoms, the 50-year-old Atlanta mayor, is a top surrogate for Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Now, the pair occupy the same political intersection: Bidens list of potential running mates. Bottoms, conversely, had the backing of outgoing Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, himself once viewed as a potential governor.

The host told Biden that black voters saved your political life in the primaries and have things they want from you.Biden said that "I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. Sixty-one percent of black voters supported Biden during the primary season, according to AP VoteCast surveys across 17 states that voted in February and March. He has already committed to picking a woman as his running mate and is considering several African American contenders who could energize black voters. There is little chance of a sudden shift in support for Trump among black voters. Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, a national organization that works to mobilize black voters, said many black Americans are loyal Biden supporters.

The host told Biden that black voters saved your political life in the primaries and have things they want from you.Biden said that "I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. I was struck by the condescension and the arrogance in his comments," Scott said in a conference call arranged by the Trump campaign. Sixty-one percent of black voters supported Biden during the primary season, according to AP VoteCast surveys across 17 states that voted in February and March. There is little chance of a sudden shift in support for Trump among black voters. Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, a national organization that works to mobilize black voters, said many black Americans are loyal Biden supporters.