Donald Trump Announces Tampa Rally

TAMPA, FL — With Florida’s 29 electoral votes still very much up for grabs, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is making a final stop in the Tampa Bay area to stump for votes ahead of Nov. 8. The New York businessman has a Saturday rally on his schedule.

Trump is expected to take the stage at the Florida State Fairgrounds at 10 a.m. Nov. 5. Doors to the 4800 U.S. 301 Special Events Center open at 7 a.m.

Trump’s appearance comes as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has watched her poll numbers falter. The Clinton campaign was rocked by a Friday, Oct. 28 announcement from FBI director James Comey that his agency was investigating newly uncovered emails that might be related to its investigation into Clinton’s use of a private server during her time as secretary of state. Comey sent a letter to Congressional leaders last Friday, just 11 days before the election.

Clinton’s campaign has also been on the defensive as WikiLeaks continues to dump emails allegedly written by or sent to Clinton campaign staffers. Among the revelations to come out of the WikiLeaks dumps is a $12 million donation from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to the Clinton Foundation. The Clinton campaign has denounced the WikiLeaks email release, saying the hack represents an effort by the Russian government to influence the American election.

As controversy surrounds the Clinton campaign, the Democrat has watched her lead in the polls dwindle. On Friday, Oct. 28, she led Republican challenger Donald Trump by 4.6 percentage points in national polls, according to RealClear Politics. By Wednesday, her lead had dropped to 1.7 percentage points. The number held steady on Friday, Nov. 4.

Polls in the critical battleground state of Florida show Clinton ahead, but not by much. As of Nov. 4, RealClear Politics put the Democrat ahead in the Sunshine State by 1.2 percentage points. That was up from the 0.7 percentage point lead Trump enjoyed on Thursday.

With the end of the campaign trail in sight, both Clinton and Trump are battling to earn Florida’s critical votes. Clinton is making a South Florida appearance on Saturday and returning to the Kissimmee area Sunday with President Barack Obama. After Saturday’s Tampa rally, Trump plans to head to North Carolina.

Free tickets for Trump’s Tampa rally are available on the campaign website.

Image Credit: Rick Uldricks/Patch