Florida
Kamala Harris campaign suggests Florida is in play: What polls say
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is staying hopeful in its push to score an upset victory in Florida and capture the state’s 30 electoral votes in the November presidential election.
During a fundraiser in New York City on Wednesday, second gentleman Doug Emhoff told donors that Harris’ team is “going to see what we can do” in the Sunshine State, where Democrats lost to former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
“The map is wide-open, and we need the money to compete in seven and possibly eight states,” Emhoff said at the event in Brooklyn, per a report from ABC News correspondent Will McDuffie.
“I was just in Florida at the Villages and it was wild,” Emhoff added, referring to his campaign stop in Alachua County over the weekend. “It was way more people than we thought, and there was a lot of excitement, and we’re going to see what we can do down in Florida.”
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ campaign for further comment Wednesday night.
Florida has been regarded as a reliable state for Republicans in recent years under Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration. Democrats have won only five presidential elections in Florida since 1952—former President Barack Obama won the state in 2008 and 2012.
But with issues like abortion on the ballot this year in Florida, Democrats have kicked it up a notch. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison previously said that the party believes it “has a shot” at taking Florida and its 30 electoral votes, telling reporters this month, “I keep saying folks, they’re going to be surprised on election night about what happens in the state, that you can’t give up on Florida.”
According to polls, however, it is likely an uphill battle for Harris. Per FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages, Harris is down 3.6 percentage points to Trump (49.3 percent to 45.6 percent). President Joe Biden lost by 3.3 percentage points in Florida to Trump in 2020 despite winning the White House.
RealClearPolling gives the former president an even bigger lead, finding Trump up by 6 percentage points (49 percent to 43 percent). Pollster Nate Silver’s election forecast predicts that Trump has an 85.2 percent chance of winning Florida as of Wednesday.
There are signs that Republicans could slip, however. In a USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV survey conducted from August 7 to August 11, Trump was found to be ahead by just 5 percentage points (47 percent to 42 percent), his smallest lead in a month. Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power later called the poll “extremely alarming.”
“Fellow Conservative, it is our job to ensure Florida, Donald Trump’s home state, is LANDSLIDE for him in November,” Power wrote in a fundraising email in August.
Trump is also slipping among Florida women, a key voter bloc ahead of November that the former president has struggled to rally nationwide. In a Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab poll last month, Harris held a 10-point lead over Trump among female voters in Florida.
In a statement to Newsweek this month, Rachel Reisner, the GOP’s director of regional communications, dismissed any concerns over Florida flipping blue in the fall, saying, “Florida is Trump country.”
“In November, Florida voters will send a clear and resounding message: President Donald J. Trump is the only leader with a proven track record of making our nation prosperous and affordable,” Reisner said. “The movement to Make America Great Again is alive and growing, and it starts here in Florida.”
Florida
South Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open
Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
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