Biden Campaign Sets Goal To Win Florida

The campaign of President Joe Biden claimed that it would make a major effort to win the state of Florida, which Democrats have not won since 2012. The state previously served as a key bellwether between the major parties, including most famously as the deciding state in the 2000 election in a razor-thin election.

The Biden campaign issued an ad attacking Trump on abortion after a Florida Supreme Court decision limiting the practice to six weeks.

Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriquez wrote this week that the state is “not an easy state to win, but it is a winnable one for President Biden.”

She argued that former President Donald Trump ran a “weak, cash-strapped campaign.”

Meanwhile, the latest Redfield & Wilton/Telegraph poll showed Trump with a substantial lead in the state. With independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy included, Trump pulls in 46% of the vote compared to Biden’s 39% and Kennedy’s 7%.

#NEW @RedfieldWilton/@Telegraph Swing States Poll:

FLORIDA
Trump 46% (+7)
Biden 39%
Kennedy 7%
Stein 0%
.
MICHIGAN
Trump 41% (+2)
Biden 39%
Kennedy 6%
Stein 0%
.
PENNSYLVANIA
Trump 44% (+3
Biden 41%
Kennedy 7%
Stein 1%
.
ARIZONA
Trump 44% (+3)
Biden 41%
Kennedy 7%
Stein 0%
.… pic.twitter.com/HphQIqLfsO

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) March 25, 2024

In contrast, the Trump campaign stated that it is in a particularly strong position to win the general election. The former president leads in a number of national and statewide polls.

Florida has gone back and forth between the two major parties in recent decades. Former President George W. Bush won the state in both 2000 and 2004, including the first time by fewer than 600 votes. The state then went to former President Barack Obama twice.

Florida has been in the Republican camp the last several election cycles. Trump won the state by a little more than a point in 2016 against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then improved on his result against Biden, winning the Sunshine state by more than 3% in 2020.

Furthermore, the state has moved considerably to the right in other elections. After winning a narrow victory in 2018, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) won the state by almost 20 points against former Gov. Charlie Crist (D).

A large influx of former residents from other states have entered into Florida, especially since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the residents have been stalwart conservatives, increasing the chance that Trump will win the state this November.