President Biden's team for the next election said it will work to get Florida on their side, aiming to win over the people who used to support President Trump.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager, stated in a memo that putting effort into Florida is essential for Biden to get the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Trump won Florida in 2020 with over 51 percent, while Biden got 48 percent.
She also mentioned that winning Florida won't be easy, but it's possible for President Biden, especially because Trump's campaign is not in a strong financial position and has some weaknesses in its supporter base.
Chavez Rodriguez pointed out that the Biden campaign has hired three people to lead the campaign in Florida and has spent $25 million in the fall and $30 million in the spring on advertising in the state. She also stressed that the campaign has been focusing on reaching out to Latino voters, as Florida has a large population of Cuban, Venezuelan, and Puerto Rican people.
She described Florida as a place where President Biden has a strong track record, where Trump and Rick Scott's political agenda is negatively impacting the lives of people in Florida, and where the Democratic group of supporters is growing and enthusiastic.
Chavez Rodriguez outlined that abortion will be on the ballot in Florida, where the state Supreme Court issued a ruling that puts a six-week ban into effect May 1. Democrats see abortion as a winning issue for them in 2024 after experiencing better-than-expected results in the midterm elections months after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“This new, extreme abortion ban – one that Donald Trump personally paved the way for – will now amount to a ban for the entire Southeast. Women in need of reproductive care throughout the region now face a choice between putting their lives at risk or traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to get care,” she said.
Chavez Rodriguez called Florida “Ground Zero for Trump’s MAGA Blueprint” and noted that books have been banned in the state and guns are easier to access than in other states. She also argued that Florida has rising housing costs and ranks 44th among states with health insurance access, citing The Commonwealth Fund.
The Biden campaign has also set its sights on flipping North Carolina in November. Trump won North Carolina by a tight margin in 2020, and Biden visited the state as part of his tour of every battleground state last month.