TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The presidential race is tightening in Florida, with recent polls showing a near tie.
Both Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s and President Donald Trump’s campaigns are making multiple stops in the Sunshine State this week before the final presidential debate. But the outcome is more uncertain than ever.
Stoping at a Black Voices for Trump rally in Florida’s capital city, the Tump campaign wrapped up another day of its fourth bus tour through the state.
On the bus, Capitol News Service spoke with U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who said reaching minority voters has been a central focus of the president’s reelection bid.
“The policies of the Trump administration have benefited every community, and we’re grateful for the diverse coalition we have,” Gaetz said.
Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, also made stops in Jacksonville and Orlando this week.
Biden campaign surrogate Dianne Williams-Cox was in Jacksonville and is confident in Biden’s support from minority voters.
“We need to unify. We need to come back together. We need to build back better and we can do it,” Williams-Cox said.
Neither the Biden nor Trump campaign expects the late-breaking New York Post story, alleging Biden played a role in his son’s foreign business ties, to make a difference in the final results.
“I think many people are saying, ‘What article?' We’ve seen this played out before. You know, the Hillary (Clinton) emails, the ‘this’ and the ‘that,'” said Williams-Cox.
American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp said social media’s response to the story is evidence the Trump campaign is fighting a two-front battle.
“It was basically almost impossible to find this article online as soon as it broke. Why? Because they’re trying to use their corporate money to make sure Joe Biden is elected president,” Schlapp said.
Both the Trump and Biden campaigns have acknowledged the possibility of post-election lawsuits in the event of a close race. But both expect a smooth election here in Florida.
Biden and Trump face off in the final presidential debate on Thursday night. Debate topics include COVID-19, race relations, American families, climate change, national security and leadership.