North Florida Democrats ‘turn out the vote’ in ‘virtual bus stop’ for Joe Biden

A group of Democrats representing the Jacksonville and Tallahassee metro markets convened Monday virtually to make the case for their party’s presidential nominee.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, whose district spans I-10 between the metropolitan areas, was joined by Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville, Rep. Ramon Alexander of Tallahassee, and Rep. Tracie Davis of Jacksonville.

Lawson mentioned his long political career in introduction to what was a Congressional Black Caucus PAC “Get Out the Vote” event.

“It’s up to us to get involved … to bring home the bacon,” Lawson said. “We have to get this message out.”

“There have been many years that North Florida has been overlooked, but that’s not going to happen this time,” Lawson said.

“We can win in Duval. Duval turned blue for Andrew Gillum for the first time in 30 years. We can do it again,” Lawson added.

Lawson called Trump a “lame duck President,” comparing him to VP nominee Senator Kamala Harris, who the Congressman described as “one of the smartest females I’ve ever seen on the ticket.”

The other featured speakers made similar points.

Senator Gibson said “Duval will turn up and turn out” and “do whatever it needs to do” to secure Joe Biden‘s election.

The stakes are high, the Senator said.

“I don’t know what we will do, particularly as a minority community, if Donald Trump is reelected. The soul of America will die and we cannot have that,” Gibson said.

Rep. Davis, a close ally of Gibson’s, made her own case for the Biden/Harris ticket.

“Trump … has relentlessly attacked women’s health and economic security,” the legislator, elected to her third term in August, said.

“Duval County is fired up and ready to go,” Davis added.

Rep. Alexander, likewise “fired up,” stressed the Democratic ticket’s “true commitment to higher education.” This included a proposal to forgive student loan debt.

“We don’t want crumbs,” Alexander said. “We want the bacon.”

Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, who challenged Lawson in 2018, made the case as well.

“Jobs are on the ballot … the soul of America is on the ballot,” Brown thundered in a rolling cadence familiar to those who experienced his campaigns over the last decade.