With less than a week to go until the primary, some of the remaining presidential hopefuls turned their focus to Florida on Wednesday as the Sunshine State prepares to host two debates.
The two Democratic presidential candidates, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., defeated former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, will debate in Miami Wednesday night in the aftermath of a major upset where Sanders took Michigan in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
Clinton continues to have a solid lead in the delegate count.
With Sanders not focusing on Florida, the Clinton team took precautions on Wednesday that their candidate wouldn’t be surprised like she was in Michigan, launching new TV and radio ads running across the Sunshine State.
The Clinton camp brought out two new TV ads, both of which are running in Orlando.
One of the new TV spots is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman and showcases Clinton’s efforts on behalf of African-Americans and her ties to President Barack Obama. The Clinton team is also running radio spots across the state narrated by Freeman and actress Kerry Washington.
On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, looked to make up ground on businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in Florida by unveiling a major endorsement in Miami on Wednesday.
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who bowed out of the presidential race after New Hampshire, threw her support to Cruz for the Republican nomination.
“Carly Fiorina is a strong, principled leader and woman of faith,” said Cruz on Wednesday. “Our campaign is stronger with her leadership and her voice. Her story embodies the promise that in America anyone can start as a secretary and become a Fortune 50 CEO. Carly speaks the truth with courage, doesn’t back down to the Washington powerbrokers, and terrifies Hillary and the Democrats. We are blessed to have her support, and together I am confident we will continue to unite conservatives so that every American has the opportunity to achieve the unimaginable.”
“Ted Cruz is a fearless fighter for our constitutional rights,” Fiorina said. “He has spent his life protecting Americans’ God-given liberties, and he has always stood by his word. Unlike the status-quo political class in D.C., Ted Cruz didn’t cower when he got to Washington – he stood unequivocally for the American people. I know Ted, and he’ll do the same as president.”
Cruz wasn’t the only Republican to focus on South Florida on Wednesday. Rubio was scheduled to host a campaign event in Hialeah on Wednesday evening.
For his part, Trump was scheduled to have a rally in North Carolina, which also holds its primary next week, on Wednesday. He’ll be back in Florida on Thursday night to debate Cruz, Rubio and Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, who is focused on defending his home turf in Ohio next week.
According to the polls, Trump and Clinton are out front in Florida.
In a CNN/ORC poll that CNN reported on Wednesday morning, Trump takes 40 percent of Florida Republicans with Rubio in second at 24 percent. Cruz is in third with 19 percent while Kasich lags behind with 5 percent.
Clinton has a large lead on the Democratic side with 61 percent followed by Sanders with 34 percent. Most voters on both sides of the aisle say their minds are made up and they are firmly committed to backing their candidates.
Quinnipiac University also released a poll on Wednesday showing Trump and Clinton with commanding leads in the Sunshine State. Trump takes 45 percent in the Q-Poll followed by Rubio with 22 percent and Cruz with 18 percent. Clinton gets 62 percent while Sanders takes 32 percent of Democrats.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
