Milford, CT (June 9, 2021) – Today, Democrats Serve — a new national political action committee (PAC) that supports Democrats running for office with public service backgrounds, including law enforcement — is endorsing Congresswoman Val Demings in her bid to unseat Senator Marco Rubio.

Brett Broesder, the PAC’s executive director, noted that Congresswoman Demings, a former Orlando police chief, is an excellent example of a Democrat running for office with a public service background who has excelled as a candidate and a policymaker.

“Val Demings knows public service,” said Broesder. “She started her career as a social worker. Then, she became a beat cop on the streets of Orlando, eventually serving as her city’s first woman — and woman of color — police chief. For her, serving and protecting Florida families isn’t just a job; it’s a way of life.”

Broesder also said that the group is making a concerted effort to recruit diverse candidates with public safety and justice system experience.

“Republicans, including Senator Marco Rubio, are turning their backs on law enforcement by refusing to investigate what role politics played in allowing insurrectionists to kill a Capitol Police officer,” said Broesder. “140 officers from Metropolitan Police and Capitol police were injured during the attack, too. Senator Rubio has made his priorities clear: appeasing right-wing extremists trumps law and order. On the other hand, Congresswoman Demings climbed the ranks of Orlando’s police department to become the city’s first woman police chief. She puts the safety and security of Floridians first. That’s why Congresswoman Demings would be the best choice for the U.S. Senate in 2022.”

Democrats Serve works to support public service candidates — at the federal, state, and local levels — who often lack access to the built-in fundraising networks of other candidates.

Other U.S. Senate races nationwide, where Democrats with public service backgrounds are likely to receive the PACs backing include former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley (D-NC), and former federal prosecutor, and current Congressman Conor Lamb (D-PA).

Democrats Serve’s overall national effort consists of recruiting, training, and supporting Democrats with backgrounds serving communities in government — at the federal, state, and local levels — including teachers, police officers, firefighters, first responders, social workers, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, public health nurses, and more.

With their recent launch, Democrats Serve rolled out a diverse group of former and current elected officials nationwide who are supportive of the PAC’s mission, including Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones. He’s an educator and research specialist at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

“Teaching high school chemistry at a public school gave me a unique perspective on the challenges our young people face and solutions needed to improve education,” said Jones. “Democrats Serve will help more educators get elected to public office so we can create more opportunities for our future.”

Another supporter of Democrats Serve, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Pat Timmons-Goodson, noted that people who have served their communities are well-equipped to bring about much-needed change.

"To get better policy, we need to elect more people who have seen and felt the human impact of government,” said Timmons-Goodson. “As a judge, I saw it all. My judicial experience helped me to see what should be done differently. Supporting non-traditional candidates who have served their communities will bring change. Democrats Serve will promote that change."

Democrats Serve will soon announce details about a nationwide summer training program for candidates and potential candidates for all levels of public office. An application for the training program is posted here.

About Democrats Serve

Democrats Serve is a political action committee (PAC) that supports Democrats running for office – at the federal, state, and local levels – with civil and public service backgrounds. The group does this by recruiting, training, and supporting Democrats nationwide with backgrounds serving communities in government, including police officers, firefighters, first responders, social workers, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, educators, and more.

Posted on June 9, 2021 in Press Releases.