In the early stages of the 2016 presidential contest, some of the top candidates from both parties continue to keep an eye on Florida despite both former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., looking at getting in the race.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be on center stage Saturday when she speaks at the Clinton Global Initiative's conference at the University of Miami. Clinton will have the whole family with her, appearing with her daughter Chelsea at an event moderated by late-night show host Larry Wilmore. Former President Bill Clinton is also scheduled to speak at the conference over the weekend.
With Clinton facing questions about using private emails during her time at the State Department, the Republican National Committee (RNC) jabbed her on Thursday as news emerged that she would be heading to Miami this weekend.
Hillary Clinton should use her visit to Miami to answer the questions clouding her presidential campaign-in-waiting, said Ali Pardo, a spokeswoman for the RNC. Voters deserve answers. They deserve to know why Hillary Clinton only used private email as secretary of state, why she didnt pay women equally in her Senate office, and why her familys foundation was accepting donations from foreign governments that were lobbying her State Department.
Despite the controversy, Clinton is the heavy favorite to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Gravis Marketing released a poll of Florida Democrats this week which showed her crushing her potential primary rivals.
On the Republican side, Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., will be in Palm Beach on Friday night to deliver the keynote address for the Palm Beach County GOPs Lincoln Day Dinner. Christie is no stranger to South Florida. Last year, in his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), Christie hit Florida often to help Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., win a second term.
Christie had been at the top of several polls looking at the 2016 Republican presidential primaries but he has lost momentum in recent months. The Gravis poll released earlier this week showed Christie in sixth place with 6 percent, far behind Bush and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
