Val Demings
FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump greets Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he arrives at West Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. Now that the pandemic appears to be waning and DeSantis is heading into his reelection campaign next year, he has emerged from the political uncertainty as one of the most prominent Republican governors and an early White House front-runner in 2024 among Donald Trump's acolytes, if the former president doesn't run again. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
As pandemic wanes, Florida's DeSantis seizes national stage

By Bobby Caina Calvan May. 30, 2021 07:44 AM EDT

FILE—In this file photo from Dec. 19, 2019, Dayton mayor Nan Whaley gives an interview in her office in Dayton, Ohio. Whaley says she won't seek a third term, raising expectations the Democrat will seek higher office just days after she criticized Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. (AP Photo/Daniel Sewell, File)
From city halls, the plea for COVID-19 aid is bipartisan

By Bill Barrow Feb. 17, 2021 02:23 PM EST

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez speaks during a protest at PortMiami by workers in the cruise ship industry wanting to return to work, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Miami. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a No Sail Order for cruise ships through Oct. 31 during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
GOP flips 2 Dem House seats in Florida, including Shalala

By Curt Anderson Nov. 03, 2020 10:11 PM EST

Trump wins Florida; voters raise minimum wage to $15

Nov. 03, 2020 07:48 PM EST
MIAMI (AP) — PRESIDENT President Donald Trump has won Florida’s 29 electoral votes, defeating Democrat Joe Biden in a prized battleground...

FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, the entrance to the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is closed in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Squeezed by limits on attendance at its theme parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic, The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, it planned to lay off 28,000 workers in its parks division in California and Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Disney to lay off 28,000 at its parks in California, Florida

By Mike Schneider Sep. 29, 2020 05:11 PM EDT

FILE - In this July 31, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., listens as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
How it happened: Inside Biden's search for a running mate

By Julie Pace, David Eggert And Kathleen Ronayne Aug. 12, 2020 06:45 AM EDT

FILE - In this July 31, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., listens as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
How it happened: Inside Biden's search for a running mate

By Julie Pace, David Eggert And Kathleen Ronayne Aug. 11, 2020 10:46 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin, File)
2020 Watch: Does Trump have a strategy to win in November?

By Steve Peoples Jul. 20, 2020 05:29 AM EDT

FILE - In this June 29, 2019, file photo, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., embraces the Rev. Jesse Jackson after being introduced during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition International Convention at Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is under mounting pressure to pick a black woman in the wake of recent outrage over racial injustice and police brutality. But some black leaders say Warren's progressive politics, economic populism and specific policy proposals addressing everything from maternal mortality to the coronavirus could put her in a strong position. (Kevin Tanaka/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Warren's outreach to black voters could help VP standing

By Will Weissert Jun. 16, 2020 12:15 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., gives her opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden’s search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Biden's VP list narrows: Warren, Harris, Susan Rice, others

By Bill Barrow And Julie Pace Jun. 13, 2020 12:32 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and then-candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., arrive to participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. Biden’s search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Biden's VP list narrows: Warren, Harris, Susan Rice, others

By Bill Barrow And Julie Pace Jun. 12, 2020 03:35 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 10, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to members of the press at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The police killing of George Floyd and the civil and political unrest that’s rocked the nation in the week since has the potential to reshape Joe Biden’s vice-presidential selection process. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Civil unrest could influence Biden's search for running mate

By Alexandra Jaffe And Bill Barrow Jun. 01, 2020 02:05 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 10, 2020, file photo Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to members of the press at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Biden said Friday, May 29, that the "open wound” of systemic racism was behind the police killing of a handcuffed black man in Minnesota, and swiped at President Donald Trump for inciting violence, without mentioning him by name. "We are a country with an open wound. None of us can turn away,” Biden in a brief online address. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Unrest demonstrates Biden's challenge in breaking through

By Alexandra Jaffe May. 31, 2020 08:57 PM EDT

A security guard walks behind shattered glass at the CNN building at the CNN Center in the aftermath of a demonstration against police violence on Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Atlanta mayor Bottoms praised for response to unrest in city

By Steven Sloan And Bill Barrow May. 30, 2020 04:11 PM EDT

People protest the death of George Floyd, Friday, May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis. The police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday and charged with murder in a case that sparked protests across the United States and violence in Minneapolis.(Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP)
Analysis: Trump fuels new tensions in moment of crisis

By Julie Pace May. 30, 2020 01:59 AM EDT

People protest the death of George Floyd, Friday, May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis. The police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday and charged with murder in a case that sparked protests across the United States and violence in Minneapolis.(Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP)
Analysis: Trump fuels new tensions in moment of crisis

By Julie Pace May. 29, 2020 05:40 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del. Biden expects to name a vice presidential vetting committee next week. That's according to three Democrats with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Joe Biden's next big decision: Choosing a running mate

By Bill Barrow Apr. 10, 2020 12:46 AM EDT