Jacob Ogles
Democrats say the best way to greet Donald Trump voting early in Florida is with thousands of votes against him.
The President, on Saturday, visited a library in West Palm Beach to vote for himself. It gives the incumbent President the rare chance to vote in a swing state, a decidedly more meaningful move than a ballot cast in deep blue New York City.
But a new ad released by Independence USA PAC, a political effort fueled by billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s $100-million commitment to ensure Democrats win Florida, suggests Florida voters counterstrike with the power of their own vote.
“President Trump is voting in Florida, but your vote can cancel his out,” a narrator explains.
The ad, shared in advance with Florida Politics, will begin airing on MSNBC in Florida Saturday.
It shows a montage of voters employing the power of democracy.
Some stand at traditional precincts, carrying paper ballots to on-site scanners to have them tabulated right after in-person voting. A Black man wearing a protective mask lifts up his hand as the camera zooms in on an “I voted” sticker.”
Another shows a woman, wearing a face mask and gloves, proudly holding an envelope containing her vote-by mail ballot.
The advertisement shows stills of a masked Joe Biden bumping elbows with foundry workers.
The narrator makes an explicit appeal and call to action to Florida voters.
“Make your voice heard,” he says. “Vote now for Joe Biden.”
The ad comes at a time when Democrats continue to outperform Republicans in turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 election. As of mid-day Saturday, 1,682,577 Democrats in Florida had voted by mail compared to 1,100,095 Republicans.
But when in comes to voting early in person, the method Trump himself employed, Republicans hold the edge with 803,667 casting ballots that way so far compared to 608,093 Democrats.
The progressive PAC ad strikes Florida 10 days out from the election. Florida, the largest swing state with 29 electoral votes at play, appears to be a must-win state for Trump to secure a second term.
The organization has ads running everyday in all 10 Florida media markets geared toward both persuasion and mobilization.
