Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly in Broward County, while Republican candidate Byron Donalds made a stop in Miami-Dade, as both campaigns work to mobilize voters ahead of Election Day.
Read more Jury recommends death for man who killed wife, 2 stepdaughters in 2012
“I think we ought to give David Jolly a chance,” Clinton told the crowd during an interfaith service supporting the Democratic candidate at the Koinonia Worship Center.
Clinton urged voters to support a governor focused on Floridians’ needs rather than political divisions.
“You want somebody who will wake up every morning thinking about what you need, not what will make President Trump happy,” Clinton said.
The former president, who told the audience he had recently turned 80, criticized divisive politics and highlighted the rising cost of living as a major challenge facing Florida residents.
“The question is not how many people are going to be able to move here, the question is whether the people who already live here can stay here and have a good life,” Clinton said.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later became a Democrat, addressed the congregation at a Black church in Pembroke Park, emphasizing immigration concerns and his prediction that Democrats could win the governor’s race.
“What’s going to happen on election night is this state is about to elect a Democratic governor for the first time in 30 years,” Jolly said.
He also pointed to concerns affecting immigrant communities, including Venezuelans in Doral and Haitians facing deportation.
“When a Venezuelan cannot drive through Doral without fear of getting profiled and getting picked up … when a Haitian is being ripped away for deportation,” Jolly said.
Read more North Lauderdale store clerk speaks out after customer pepper-sprays him
Supporter Susan Gregg said she attended the event because of concerns about the country’s political future.
“I am here because I’m terrified that we’re going to lose democracy as we know it,” Gregg said.
Clinton’s visit also included a private fundraiser in Miami that brought in $3 million for Jolly’s campaign.
Meanwhile, Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor, campaigned at La Carreta Cuban Cafe in Westchester, a predominantly Republican area of Miami-Dade County.
Donalds focused on affordability, economic opportunity and the needs of Florida families and retirees.
“We gotta make it more affordable. We gotta drive prices down for people. We want young children to be able to achieve a great dream in Florida. We want seniors to live out their golden years in Florida,” Donalds said.
The competing campaign stops highlighted both parties’ efforts to energize their respective voter bases in South Florida as the gubernatorial race approaches its final stretch.
Donalds is also scheduled to appear with President Donald Trump in Southwest Florida on Friday.
Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since the late 1990s, making the race a significant test for Democrats seeking to regain statewide power.
Read more Florida Bar places employee on leave over ‘morally reprehensible’ comments to Miami football player