Video shows Florida Senate hopeful Val Demmings’ security guards shoving a man
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Security guards for Florida Democratic Senate hopeful, Rep. Val Demmings, appear to have pushed a man to the ground at a campaign event earlier this month.
FloridaPolitics.com reported Tuesday on the incident, sharing two videos of the encounter, which the site said the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
The videos were later shared by a spokesperson for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who Demmings hopes to replace.
The individual appeared to be a campaign ‘tracker,’ a person hired by the opposing political campaign or party to follow a candidate and film them, in case they make a gaffe, which can be used to the rival’s advantage.
Security guards for Florida Democratic Senate hopeful, Rep. Val Demmings, appear to have pushed a man to the ground at a campaign event earlier this month video of the incident shows
Democratic Rep. Val Demmings is running for her party’s nomination for U.S. Senate in next week’s Florida primary and is largely expected to win. She’ll be on the ballot against GOP Sen. Marco Rubio in November
FloridaPolitics.com said the scuffle occurred on August 6 at a meet-and-greet for Demmings at Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park in Mims, Florida, near Cape Canaveral.
The security guards appear to be employees of Ardent Protection, the website said.
A shorter clip shows the initial encounter, with black-clad security guards pushing the man down as he protests: ‘what the f**k are you all doing?’
They order him to stay down.
In a second, longer clip, one security guard is heard boasting, ‘In corrections I used to balance people like you off their head in the jail.’
‘Except for I don’t do bad things. I’m not one of those people. I’m just doing my job. That’s it. I’ve been good to you guys,’ the unidentified man responded.
An Ardent guard screams, ‘Don’t touch me. Oh my God.’
‘I’ve been so good, and y’all are just being ridiculous sometimes. I just want to be even keel,’ the man said.
FloridaPolitics.com said the man went to the hospital for minor injuries.
Demmings’ communications director for the campaign, Christian Slater, stood by the guards’ behavior.
‘Security officials take potential threats and threatening behavior toward the Chief seriously,’ Slater told FloridaPolitics.com.
Demmings was the chief of the Orlando Police Department before entering Congress in 2017.
A spokesperson for Sen. Marco Rubio, the Republican incumbent, shared both videos on Twitter Monday
‘In this instance the individual did not respond to multiple requests to leave and charged at security personnel in pursuit of Chief Demings’ approaching vehicle,’ Slater added.
The Republican National Committee suggested Demmings was a hypocrite because members of her party have called for defunding the police.
‘It’s easy for Democrats like Val Demings to call defunding the police “very thoughtful” and violent riots “a beautiful sight” when she has her own private security to back her up,’ said RNC spokesperson Julia Friedland.
The ex-police chief hasn’t called for defunding the police and in a June campaign ad called the idea ‘just crazy.’
Florida Democrats are largely expected to pick Demmings to be their Senate nominee – and go up against Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio in the fall – during the state’s primary election this coming Tuesday.
A poll conducted by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab that was released Tuesday showed Demmings leading her two primary opponents by whopping 76 points.
The same poll showed the Democrat leading Rubio in the general election by 4 points, slightly outside the 3.4 percent margin of error.
Another recent survey, released by the Republican-leaning Center Street Political Action Committee, has Rubio 11 points ahead of Demmings.
Republicans have made inroads in Florida in recent years, with former President Donald Trump carrying the once swing state easily in both 2016 and 2020.