U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., participates in a debate with challenger U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., at Duncan Theater on the campus of Palm Seashore State School in Palm Seashore County, Fla., on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Related Press
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and his opponent U.S. Rep. Val Demings, a Democrat, went face to face on Tuesday night time at Palm Seashore State School.
They mentioned points together with abortion, gun management, border safety and inflation throughout their first and final debate earlier than the election subsequent month.
Florida’s rightward shift is clear in current polls, as Rubio stays forward with 47% in comparison with Demings’ 41%, although she has outraised him in marketing campaign contributions, based on Axios.
The three-term congresswoman and former Orlando police chief accused the two-term senator of mendacity on a number of events all through the talk. In the meantime Rubio slammed Demings for supporting Biden’s financial agendas, based on NPR.
Abortion limitations and exceptions
On the reproductive rights, Rubio caught to get together strains and speaking factors after Demings focused him on abortion. When requested whether or not he would assist an abortion ban with most exceptions if elected, Rubio mentioned: “You discuss (Sen.) Lindsey Graham’s invoice. That’s a four-month ban,” per Fox Information.
The invoice in query bans abortion after 15 weeks, besides in circumstances of rape, incest or in circumstances of medical emergencies. Nevertheless, Rubio has beforehand supported different legal guidelines with out exceptions, per NBC Information.
“The extremist on abortion on this marketing campaign is Congresswoman Demings,” he mentioned, claiming that she doesn’t assist any sort of restriction or limitation, whether or not it’s a four-month ban or a five-month ban.
When requested once more if he would assist a federal invoice, he mentioned it was irrelevant as a result of a invoice with out exceptions would by no means cross in Congress, based on USA As we speak.
Demings responded saying she doesn't assist going again to a time earlier than Roe v. Wade was in place.
“We're not going again to a time when girls are handled like second-class residents or like property. And I’ll say it once more … I assist a girl’s proper to abortion proper as much as the time of viability,” she mentioned, per Fox Information.
Gun management
Gun management was one other concern that the 2 candidates clashed over. Two mass shootings — on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016 and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty in Parkland, Florida, in 2018 — unfolded underneath Rubio’s time period as senator, based on The Related Press.
Demings was fast to level out that no laws has been handed to introduce gun restrictions, though persons are “being gunned down” all over the place from faculties and faculties to the grocery retailer.
She additionally criticized him for voting towards Biden’s bipartisan gun management invoice.
Val Demings to Marco Rubio: “How lengthy will you watch folks being gunned down in first grade, fourth grade, highschool, school, church, synagogue, a grocery retailer, a movie show, a mall, and a nightclub and do nothing?” pic.twitter.com/vyKaLH6V4b
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) October 18, 2022
Rubio argued that gun restrictions wouldn’t have stopped mass shootings they usually violate the Second Modification proper to bear arms.
He additionally defended his opposition to gun restrictions by saying that some proposals, reminiscent of background checks, wouldn't have stopped many mass shootings and that People have a Second Modification proper to guard themselves, per CNN.
Although he beforehand supported age restrictions for sure sorts of weapons, in the course of the debate, he mentioned it “doesn’t work.” As a substitute, he mentioned weapons needs to be taken away from people who find themselves flagged by legislation enforcement, the report added.