ORLANDO, Fla. — Marco Rubio has defeated Val Deming in the U.S. Senate race in Florida, becoming a victor in one of the most expensive senate races in the country, according to early results.
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Rubio is ahead of Demings with 56% of the votes, early results show.
Despite raised $30 million less, Rubio led early polls, hoping to extend his time in office.
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Demings, a former Orlando police chief, spent more money, resulting in the third most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country behind Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Demings is well-known in Central Florida, but her challenge was to create name recognition in other parts of the state where Rubio has been representing constituents for years.
READ: Florida governor’s race: Early polls indicate GOP lead in matchup between DeSantis, Crist
Demings raised more than $72 million as of the most recent campaign finance report that ended Oct. 19. That’s $26 million more than Rubio.
She went into the final few weeks of the election cycle with $4.9 million on hand compared to Rubio’s $4.1 million.
READ: DeSantis projected winner against Crist in Florida governor race
See Congresswoman Demings concession speech below:
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