Vice-Presidential Candidate Harris Campaigns In Florida, Decries Vote Suppression

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Michael Moline

October 19, 2020

Sen. Kamala Harris campaigned in Florida Monday — the first day of early in-person voting in some counties — saying that powerful forces including President Trump are trying to “to confuse people about the integrity of our voting system, trying to suggest you can’t trust it.”

Taking the stage during a drive-in rally under an open-air pavilion at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee attacked Trump for that and also for his inaction on COVID-19 and attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare.

“Justice is on the ballot in 2020. Economic justice is on the ballot in 2020. Climate justice is on the ballot in 2020. Health care justice is in the ballot in 2020. Reproductive justice is on the ballot in 2020. Criminal justice reform is on the ballot in 2020,” the California senator said.

“Everything is on the ballot in 2020. Joe Biden is on the ballot in 2020,” Harris said. “And we’re gonna get this done.”

Trump and his family have been campaigning heavily in the nation’s largest swing state, often joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis, but they had no events here scheduled this week. The president and governor have generally ignored CDC-guidance to wear face masks against coronavirus transmission during rallies.

The Democrats Monday were more observant — speakers including Harris and U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Orlando kept their masks on until they began to speak on a podium situated at a distance from an audience that mostly kept to their cars, blowing horns in appreciation of applause lines.

A second Harris event was set for Jacksonville at 4:40 p.m.

“Why are so many powerful people trying to get in the way of us voting? Why are these powerful people trying to suggest we can’t trust the system? Putting in place laws that are trying to suppress the vote? Trying to purge the voter rolls? Why are they doing that?” Harris said.

“And the answer, of course, we know, is this: Because they know when we vote that we win. When we vote, we change things. We make it better. We know our power. They know our power. … And we know we will never let anybody take our power from us,” she said.

“That’s why we are all here today — to say we are powerful, we are strong, we stand together in unity. We stand here as a coalition of people who recognize the beautiful diversity of who we are as a country. And we know that when we vote and when we use our voice, we win. We know our country is worth it. We know and can see a better day.

“And so, let’s get out there and organize folks and make sure everybody votes and we will win.”

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee weighed in on Harris’ visit, with a statement from Emma Vaughn, the Florida Press Secretary at the RNC:

“Kamala Harris’s last-minute efforts in Florida are too little, too late. Regardless of who Joe Biden sends to stump in the Sunshine State on his behalf, Floridians will soundly reject Biden’s platform that will destroy jobs, pack the courts, and hike taxes. Meanwhile, President Trump and Republicans are experiencing record-high enthusiasm and have a massive ground game operation that will deliver Florida on November 3rd.”

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.