Last Call for 6.19.24 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Recent polls are showing a close race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump ahead of the first presidential debate.

The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist National Poll shows that both Biden and Trump have 49% support among registered voters throughout the nation. These numbers include undecided voters who lean toward one of the two candidates. Two percent are listed as fully undecided.

This is a mostly similar result to last month’s poll, where Biden had 50% support, two percentage points ahead of Trump. In terms of demographics, Trump holds 55% of support from White voters, compared to the 43% who support Biden. Biden has the advantage with non-White voters, 58%-40%, a gap that has grown wider since last month’s poll.

The poll also showed the issues that Americans hold most important, with a plurality of voters (30%) saying that inflation was the top issue ahead of the election, followed by 29% believing that preserving democracy was most important.

These priorities also see a close race for the preferred candidate, as 54% of voters say they would rather trust Trump in handling economic issues, as opposed to Biden’s 45%. However, in issues of preserving democracy, Biden was preferred by 52% to Trump’s 46%.

The majority of voters (55%) also expressed dissatisfaction with the candidate choices for both parties. About two in three registered voters (66%) have decided who they will vote for, with 25% saying they have an idea of who they will support but are open to changing their mind. Around 9% of registered voters have not made up their minds, with the majority of those voters identifying as independent and non-White.

These results come ahead of next week’s presidential debate, which could get some of the undecideds off the fence. The June 27 debate is the first of two planned debates, with the second slated for Sept. 10.

Evening Reads

—”Donald Trump tries to set expectations, and floats excuses, for his debate with Joe Biden” via Shawn McCreesh of The New York Times

—“Biden’s ads haven’t been working. Now, he’s trying something new.” via Eric Levitz of Vox

—”It’s not just vibes. Americans’ perception of the economy has completely changed.” via Mary Radcliffe, Monica Potts, and Kaleigh Rogers of FiveThirtyEight

—“Before Juneteenth” via Susannah J. Ural and Ann Marsh Daly of The Atlantic

—“Juneteenth goes unobserved by Florida state government” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix

—“Americans for Prosperity warns Floridians to avoid getting ripped off on hurricane supplies” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics

—”New ad scathes ‘never-Trumpers’ backing David Shoar, attacking Tom Leek in SD 7 Primary” via Eric Daugherty of Florida’s Voice

—“Could an all-inclusive cost the same as rent? He tried it.” via Chris Dong of The Washington Post

Quote of the Day

“I guarantee you nobody checked the box that said, ‘Yes, it’s OK to send me information on Gov. DeSantis’ agenda.’”

— Rep. Kelly Skidmore, on a Department of Health email blast to medical marijuana patients praising the Governor and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

Put It on the Tab

Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.

Order a Humble Brag for Gov. Ron DeSantis who is touting $114 million in state funding for coral reef recovery and coastal protection efforts during his time in office.

With tropical disturbances already brewing in the Atlantic Ocean, AFP-FL is trying to help Floridians find the hurricane prep supplies they need without breaking the bank — smart shoppers may even save enough to order a Dark ‘n Stormy.

Pour a Jolly Rancher for Don Quincey, who has been named to the Florida Conservation Group board of directors. Quincey, founder of the Quincey Cattle Company, is a member of the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame and a founding member of the Florida Cattle Ranchers. Grab the apple vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice for this summer delight.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Rays continue series in Minneapolis

The Tampa Bay Rays try to keep the season from slipping away tonight as they continue a series in Minnesota against the Twins (7:40 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Sun).

The Rays (34-39) are in the cellar of the American League East, 16 games behind the division-leading New York Yankees and six and a half games out of the final wild-card spot. Tampa Bay has lost eight of their last 11 games and 18 of their last 27.

The Twins (41-32) are in a much better position as the midway point of the season approaches. Minnesota has won seven of their last 10. If the season ended today, the Twins would be in the playoffs. 

The Twins won yesterday’s series opener 7-6 when Minnesota scored in the bottom of the ninth. More troubling is the condition of relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks, who had a batted ball glance off his pitching hand in the ninth. He left the game complaining of numbness. Postgame X-rays were negative and he is listed as day-to-day.

If the Rays are going to make a surge to the playoffs, it will be a historic comeback. In the wild-card era (since 1995), no team has earned a wild-card spot after winning fewer than 39 games by the halfway point (81 games). Tampa Bay would have to win five of their next eight games to reach 39 wins.

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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.