President Donald Trump appealed to Florida Hispanics on Friday even as his failure to commit to a peaceful transfer of power undermined his message with voters who fled oppressive foreign regimes.
However, the president’s unwillingness this week to pledge to leave office peacefully if he lost the Nov. 3 election, one of the country’s most sacred political traditions and constitutional duties, gave ammunition to Democrats who now paint Trump as the radical candidate who rejects the most cherished American ideals.
Trump’s Florida campaign swing came as election-year political gamesmanship reaches a fever pitch in the state. This week, New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg offered $16 million to help former felons pay off fines and restitution so they can register to vote.
On the heels of Bloomberg’s move, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis called for investigations into Bloomberg’s benevolence, which is aimed at registering voters.
And another liberal organization, Progressive Turnout Project, said it was working to erase Trump’s 2016 victory margin in the Sunshine State. The organization said it has obtained 37,699 commitments from voters who say they will cast a ballot from more than 70,000 letters and phone calls.
The group said 30% “of its targeted voter pool in Florida did not vote in 2016, and 50 percent of its targeted voter pool is Black or Latin[x].”
“Joe Biden needs Florida to win this election,” said Alex Morgan, executive director of Progressive Turnout Project, in a statement. “That’s why our team is having in-depth, one-on-one conversations with inconsistent Democratic voters in Florida who we need to turn out this fall. We are talking with voters about what motivates them and what’s at stake on the ballot, and helping them make and execute a plan to vote.”
