Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Delegates have already voted to make Vice President Kamala Harris the Democratic nominee, but tonight, she’ll make it doubly official with a formal acceptance speech.
Harris’ remarks will bookend a four-day convention far more confident and boisterous than possible only five weeks ago when a foundering President Joe Biden insisted he was still in it to win it and nothing short of divine intervention would change his mind.
What a difference a month makes: Harris is now leading former President Donald Trump in most national polls, and Trump’s advantage in most of the Rust-slash-Sun Belt states that will likely decide the Oval Office has started to show cracks — and in some cases, crumbled entirely.
Much of Harris’ momentum, however, has come despite (or, as some argue, because) she’s kept a low profile, kept media interviews to a minimum, and, reminiscent of her opponent’s strategy, relied on campaign rallies to get her message to voters.
For many Americans, tonight will mark the first time they’ve heard the Veep speak at length as a bona fide presidential contender. Harris has been hit-or-miss when the shin busters flick on — she called it quits in 2020 before a single primary vote was cast — but her 2024 bid has a pulse, and Florida Democrats are hoping to prove it to as many Sunshine State voters as they can muster with a series of watch parties across the state, each of which will guest-star local electeds.
Each event begins at 8 p.m., and location details are provided upon RSVP. The list:
— Orange County DNC Watch Party, featuring Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Sen. Geraldine Thompson, Sen.-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith and Rep. Rita Harris.
— Leon County DNC Watch Party, featuring former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, Rep. Allison Tant, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and Tallahassee Commissioner Jack Porter.
— Broward County DNC Watch Party, featuring actor-slash-singer Frankie Grande, State Attorney Harold Pryor, West Park Mayor Felicia Brunson and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.
— Miami-Dade County DNC Watch Party, featuring Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Miami Gardens Council member Linda Julien, Miami-Dade County Sheriff candidate James Reyes, Miami-Dade Clerk candidate Annette Taddeo, Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor candidate JC Planas, Miami-Dade Tax Collector candidate David Richardson and Miami-Dade Property Appraiser candidate Marisol Zenteno.
Bill Day’s Latest
Evening Reads
—”Why Democrats stopped asking if a woman could win the White House” via Jennifer Medina of The New York Times
—”The reinvention of Kamala Harris” via Cleve R. Wootson Jr. of The Washington Post
—”The asterisk on Harris’ poll numbers” via Gilad Edelman of The Atlantic
—”One way that Harris needs to be more like Joe Biden” via Zach Beauchamp of Vox
—” Tim Walz and JD Vance are having the argument that matters” via Matt Bai of The Washington Post
—”The 25 weirdest lines from Donald Trump’s ‘Fox and Friends’ interview” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Against revisionist history on Biden 2024” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—“Maxwell Frost gets prime speaking role at DNC tonight” via Max Greenwood of the Miami Herald
—“The make-or-break moment that will determine the economy’s fate” via Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal
—”Ron DeSantis wants to build golf courses and hotels in Florida’s state parks” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix
—“Florida Cabinet members alarmed by state park development plan” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”AFP Action FL-backed candidates won in 11 of 12 Republican Primary contests” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“If your house was on fire, would you bring in the arsonist to put out the fire or would you actually try something different?”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, questioning whether the Vice President can fix an economy he believes the Joe Biden administration has broken.
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.
We hope to never know what artichoke liqueur tastes like, but it’s the key ingredient in a Deep Six, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest descriptor for what a Harris presidency would do to the U.S. economy.
Raise a Slippery Slope to CFO Jimmy Patronis and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson for publicly questioning DEP’s plans to plop lodges, pickleball courts and other infrastructure in Florida state parks.
Order a round of Rum & Smokes for the Smart & Safe Florida crew, who landed SEIU’s endorsement in their push for the recreational pot amendment. And, yes, that’s Rum & Smoke, not Coke — we’re not sure Florida will ever be ready for that amendment.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Football is fully back
Football fans rejoice! Starting this weekend, there will be college and/or NFL football games that matter every weekend until February.
The college football season kicks off at noon ET on Saturday when Florida State faces Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland (ESPN).
The Seminoles are ranked 10th in The Associated Press Top 25 and will face a pair of ACC opponents to start the season. After facing the Yellowjackets, FSU returns to Tallahassee to host Boston College.
Three other college football games are scheduled for the weekend, including Montana State vs. New Mexico and SMU vs. Nevada, both on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Delaware State travels across the Pacific to face Hawaii in Honolulu.
The Florida State-Georgia Tech game is clearly the highlight of the opening weekend, typically called Week Zero in college football. After having their playoff chances ripped from their grasp last year despite an undefeated regular season record, the Noles want to prove they are back in the national title picture. And with a 12-team playoff implemented for this season, they should be.
The weekend also includes all three Florida pro teams playing their final preseason game on Friday night. The Jacksonville Jaguars play the Falcons in Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Miami Dolphins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The NFL regular season begins Sept. 5.
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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.
