Kamala Harris downplays Democratic downturn in Miami-Dade

Image via PBS Newshour

Republicans are celebrating closing the gap with Democrats in pivotal Miami-Dade, but the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee was confident in their approach.

Senator Kamala Harris did a Q&A with the media during her South Florida swing Saturday, and some of the questions dealt with potential performance issues in Miami-Dade.

“We’ve all been here. This is my second time at least here in person since I’ve been on the ticket, but I’ve been up and down the state, certainly in the just the last couple weeks. So we’re putting the resources and investment in Miami, and we’re seeing the response to that,” Harris said, according to a pool report from the Joe Biden campaign.

“We’ve seen in each of the events, for example, today, the kind of enthusiasm and turnout, not to mention the numbers of people who are voting across the board. So election night, I think, will determine who has come out, who hasn’t, and we can have that conversation then, but I’m feeling a great sense of enthusiasm,” Harris added.

Harris also said she didn’t know if Republicans were in fact pulling ahead in Miami-Dade.

“I don’t know that that’s the case. Everybody needs to vote. Everyone needs to vote. We’re here today to say, listen, everything is at stake. We have witnessed the greatest failure of a presidential administration in the history of our country, and if you want somebody to actually speak truth to the American people and get a handle on this virus and acknowledge that it exists, then elect Joe Biden,” Harris said.

While the Senator from California was cagey, Florida’s leading Republican was not in extolling GOP gains in recent cycles.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Friday’s edition of the Sean Hannity show on Fox News, said that Hispanics averse to Marxism were among the drivers of Republican improvements in the county.

“All the Hispanics that understand the threat that Marxism poses are rallying to Donald Trump,” the Governor said, suggesting that a 100,000 vote swing in the county may be possible, cutting the 2016 margin in half.

That Miami-Dade swing and an increased draw with many Hispanic cohorts could, Republicans feel, be a ticket to the President winning the state.

The race looks to be another photo finish, if the Real Clear Politics average of polls is any indication. Biden leads Trump, 48% to 47%, with an increasing number of polls trending Trump in their final surveys.

Harris is in Florida Saturday for Get Out The Vote drive-in rallies in Miami and in Lake Worth as well as an early voting event in Fort Lauderdale.

South Florida will continue to be a battleground after her departure.

Sunday night sees President Donald Trump in Opa-locka, and Monday will see President Barack Obama return in a final attempt to drive Democratic votes.