Hillary Clinton in Tampa Nov. 2. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)
TAMPA | Former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, visited Tampa Bay Nov. 2 to encourage Floridians to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot in the last days of the General Election.
Clinton spoke at Casa Kamala and the Tampa Convention Center. Casa Kamala serves as a home base for the Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus, Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus and other likeminded Democratic organizations and candidates.
More than 100 supporters attended Clinton’s first stop, which began with volunteers assembling nearly 2,000 campaign signs for Harris and other Democrats. Among the participants was Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Kristen Browde, whose statewide LGBTQ+ organization endorsed Harris in July.
“Our members aren’t just energized, they’re excited to be working to elect the first woman to the nation’s highest office and to take back Florida at the same time,” she said July 28. “Not only does Kamala Harris have the knowledge, energy and leadership skills this country needs, she’s a career prosecutor who knows exactly what to do with career felons like Donald Trump.”
Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus President Victor DiMaio was the first to speak. Additional speakers included Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez and Charlie Rodriguez, former Senate president of Puerto Rico and chairman of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.
Clinton subsequently spoke for over 15 minutes, calling on attendees to do everything possible to elect Harris and Florida Democrats.
“I’m really inspired by this campaign … and I believe that here in this state, you are demonstrating why Florida should not be an afterthought. It needs to be front and center,” she said, citing Democratic volunteer numbers and early vote statistics. “This is an election about the fundamental values of our country, our democracy, our freedom.”
Clinton also specifically called on voters to elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to the U.S. Senate, who ran to unseat Rick Scott, and Tampa Bay’s Whitney Fox and Pat Kemp. All three are longtime LGBTQ+ allies.
“After 2016, I can’t tell you how many people said to me, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t think you needed me,” Clinton, who won the popular vote but lost to Trump via the Electoral College, also noted. “So now everybody, I hope remembers that we need you all. We need every single one of you to vote for yourself, to vote for your future and to vote for your freedom in this state and this country.”
Read Watermark’s endorsement of Kamala Harris here, hear from local candidates in our LGBTQ+ Voters’ Guide and view Watermark’s photos below.
Photos by Ryan Williams-Jent.
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