Demings can help win Florida

Picking Demings as VP offers Biden a strategic advantage in Florida, an important swing state which could make or break his election.^[1] Florida has historically been the key to electoral victory, as no presidential candidate in the last 20 years has won without winning Florida’s 29 electoral votes.^[2] As a swing state, Florida is always a close race, and therefore every single vote counts. Demings comes from the Interstate 4 Corridor, a “swing state’s swing region” which will play a key role in the election.^[1] Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando who first appointed Demings as the city’s police chief in 2007, notes that “To win in Florida, you’ve got to win the I-4 Corridor. Having Val on the ticket would give Biden a lot better chance in Florida. Not that he can’t win Florida without her, but I think Val would certainly energise the entire I-4 Corridor, would energise the entire African-American community to turn out, if nothing more than to turn out for her.”^[1] “Demings has a positive reputation [] in Florida” notes Sharon Austin, professor of political science at the University of Florida.^[2] She won her congressional seat by double digits in 2016 and was unopposed when reelected in 2018.^[2] Demings would be a valuable asset to Biden if he picks her as his running mate, and she could prove to be a crucial factor in winning Florida. Most of Biden’s other VP contenders come from blue states that he can count on, but taking Florida could be the deciding factor in the election.