ORLANDO, Fla. – As Vice President Kamala Harris took the microphone at her first official rally as a presidential candidate in Milwaukee Tuesday, Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones sat down with News 6.
The Miami-area Democrat was named to the Biden-Harris campaign’s national advisory board in 2023 — one of only two representatives from Florida (the other is Rep. Maxwell Frost of Orlando).
But now, with President Joe Biden stepping back from his reelection bid in favor of Harris, Jones is crisscrossing the state to beat the drum for Harris alone.
“In our lifetime, I think we have seen the greatest president to get more accomplished with the type of Congress that we have, than any other president,” Jones said. “But all of that is attached with the vice president, and they’ve done that together.”
Jones and Florida Democrats are trying to harness some of the energy and enthusiasm seen in the last two days. Harris was able to lock in enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates across the country to be considered the presumptive nominee. She’s garnered endorsements from many of the young Democratic leaders who were pitched as possible alternatives to Biden, while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have also offered their support.
Meanwhile, 1.1 million donors contributed more than $100 million since Sunday afternoon, the campaign said.
Harris on Tuesday tried to draw a sharp contrast from former President Donald Trump, his policies, and also his character.
“In this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week,” Harris said. “We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
Democrats in Florida are trying to latch onto that momentum to fight back from years of relegation by waning interest and a surging Republican Party, which has advantages legislatively, moneywise, and in terms of registered voters.
Under Chair Nikki Fried, party officials restructured its get-out-the-vote strategy and tried to harness volunteers to get out into the public. They’ve attributed State Rep. Tom Keen’s success in winning Florida House District 35 in east Orange and Osceola counties to that new effort.
Now they plan to use the same strategy to help Harris in Florida — and hopefully, down-ballot candidates.
“What I need people to understand is that while the president’s race is important, the individuals that you can go to first are on the ballot also,” Jones said, “From your county commissioners, your city commissioners, your state reps and your state senators. They play a role in this too. The benefit to having a Kamala Harris on the ballot is some of those down-ballot races.”
Jones says the Democrats are also banking on getting an assist from two proposed constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot in November — one legalizing recreational marijuana, and one regarding abortion.
“A lot of down-ballot initiatives that are going to draw people out,” Jones said. “You have Amendment 3 (recreational marijuana), and you have Amendment 4 (abortion) that’s on the ballot.”
Jones also talks about how the Harris campaign could bring out voters enthusiastic for a woman candidate who is also a minority during the interview. You can watch the full video below.
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