Bill Clinton to bus from Jacksonville to Gainesville Saturday

On Saturday, the Big Dog becomes a road dog: former President Bill Clinton will bus from Jacksonville to Gainesville to drive early voting.

From the Hillary Clinton campaign: “On Saturday, November 5, days before Election Day, President Bill Clinton will return to Florida to resume his “Stronger Together” bus tour, campaigning and encouraging voters to take advantage of last-minute early voting in Duval and Alachua counties while they still can. At stops in Jacksonville and Gainesville, with additional stops along the way, President Clinton will lay out Hillary Clinton‘s vision for an America that is stronger together, with an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”

Expecting coverage from your favorite local reporters? Not going to happen.

“Due to the unscheduled nature of the bus tour, these events will be pooled press,” reads the italicized bold faced message at the bottom of the message, a brief note of doleful apology.

This continues a careful deployment of the former president in the Jacksonville market; during his last Duval County appearance in October, local reporters were kept penned up until Clinton had left the building, even as audience members and national media were undetained.

A salutary benefit of that: no pesky questions for Bill Clinton.

This tour is key for the Hillary Clinton campaign, which needs a big weekend to win the early vote battle.

As Steve Schale noted today on Twitter: “The @BarackObama effect: 21K early voters in Jax, 3K more than yesterday. Dems win day by close to 1K, cut GOP lead from 1.1 to 0.6%”

Saturday and Souls to the Polls Sunday will tell a tale.