Police reformers stay skeptical of Val Demings, but other progressives back her Senate run

Denise Diaz of the group Central Florida Jobs with Justice echoed that the progressive focus is around economic recovery. “We’ve been working heavily on advocating for a just recovery, specifically looking at the infrastructure and the Build Back Better legislation, which she’s been supporting. … We’re really clear on what we’re going for, and it’s like a choice for her and whether or not she wants to be a part of that.” As to the criticism about her police record, “there’s a real clarity amongst progressives that, regardless of who is in office, police brutality is systemic and it’s going to take more than one senator to actually change that.”