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New market has Val Demings on the rise following Stephanie Murphy’s decision to not challenge Rubio

Jordan Kirkland

Florida Congresswoman Val Demings is picking up steam on PredictIt after Florida Representative Stephanie Murphy announced on Monday that she would not challenge Republican incumbent Senator Marco Rubio.

The betting proposition, which launched last week on the online prediction market, shows Demings on the upswing in the lead-up to the 2022 Florida Democratic Senate nomination. At the time of this article, the former police officer is trading at a red-hot $.85 Yes price — up 11 cents from when the market launched on May 20. The rise places Demings way out in front of the only other notable Democrat eyeing a Senate campaign — former Democratic U.S. Representative Alan Grayson ($.02).

The recent surge comes after Murphy declined to run for the U.S. Senate this week, paving a path for Demings — who announced earlier this month she was strongly considering a bid to challenge the junior Republican senator — to become the proverbial nominee.

Murphy, who represents Florida’s 7th Congressional, said she would instead place her focus on re-election and rebuilding the fractured Florida Democratic Party (FDP). Murphy also noted the uphill battle to defeat an established incumbent like Rubio.

“The reality is that Marco Rubio will not be an easy opponent especially if it’s on the heels of a bruising primary where Democrats spend millions attacking each other instead of using those millions to build the infrastructure we desperately need to win,” Murphy told Politico in a written statement on Monday.

Demings, a high-profile Democrat who rose to prominence during former President Donald Trump‘s first impeachment, is reportedly laying the foundation for a presumptive bid against Rubio, according to Democrats within her inner circle. While Demings has also been linked to a run against Governor Ron DeSantis, her advisor maintains that a formal Senate announcement is coming in June.

The Democratic star teased her upcoming campaign on Twitter earlier this month. Demings has also been running social media ads targeting Rubio and promoting her unnamed candidacy.

To view the 2022 Florida Democratic Senate nomination market, click here.