Trump supporters confident about Tuesday
PENSACOLA — “We’re down, but we’re not out. We’re going to come back stronger than ever.”
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis was talking about Hurricane Michael’s devastation of the eastern Florida Panhandle Saturday as he warmed up the crowd for President Donald Trump’s rally at Pensacola International Airport, but the same words could apply to the two marquee races on Tuesday’s midterm election ballots in Florida.
According to recent polling, a U.S. Senate race pitting incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson against Republican Gov. Rick Scott, and a gubernatorial contest featuring former Republican congressman Ron DeSantis and Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, are toss-ups.
RealClear Politics, a political news and analysis website, is tracking seven polls in the gubernatorial race, which on average have Gillum ahead by 2.6 points. Similarly, RealClear Politics’ tracking of the same seven polls in the senatorial contest have Nelson, on average, at 1.4 points above Scott.
Trump, too, has some issues among the broader electorate, with RealClear Politics’ averaging of a host of polls showing slightly more than 44 percent of Americans approve of his job performance. Among Republicans, however, Trump enjoys a phenomenal approval rating. Weekly averages of Gallup’s daily tracking poll for the last two years show Trump’s GOP approval ratings consistently in the 80 percent to 90 percent range.
Florida’s GOP clearly is hoping Trump’s popularity will translate into victories Tuesday.
“He has kept his promise to be the greatest job creator that God has ever created,” Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents Northwest Florida in Congress, reminded the thousands at Saturday’s rally.
“We are the party of results, not resistance,” Gaetz added. “We will make Rick Scott a senator, we will make Ron DeSantis a governor. Now get out there and vote.”
Vice President Mike Pence had a similar message.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, jobs are back, confidence is back, America is back,” said Pence. “President Trump and I need Florida to elect Ron DeSantis as your next governor and to send Rick Scott to the U.S. Senate.”
Trump focused part of his getout-the-vote message on the recent decision to send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, telling the crowd, “a vote for Republicans is a vote to protect your families.
Trump also warned that Democratic policies would be destructive to the United States.
“They want to knock it down with a giant wrecking ball,” Trump said.
In the end, though, Saturday’s rally appeared to be preaching to the choir.
“Republicans are the best way for our country to go forward, I do believe,” said Eddie Madden, a 38-year-old meat-cutter from Brewton, Alabama.
Wearing a T-shirt featuring a Trump caricature urinating on the CNN logo, Madden said he was impressed by the sacrifices made by the president.
“He gave up his businesses to come and run our country,” said Madden, who will be voting a straight Republican ballot Tuesday.
Farther back in line for shuttle buses to the rally, 28-year-old Kathy Barber, a first responder from nearby Gulf Breeze, waited to attend their first Trump rally. Barber also will be a first-time voter on Tuesday.
Saying she was tired of “the blatant falsehoods” of the mainstream media, including misquoting, editing and distorting Trump’s words, Barber was at the rally to hear Trump “unfiltered.”
“I think he’s a genius,” she said.