President Biden’s Miami visit is more about cash than votes
President Biden came to South Florida Tuesday.
For votes, maybe. But for cash? Definitely.
Biden’s supporters insist Florida is still “in play” for the election in November, though they acknowledge it’s an “uphill battle.” He did lose the state in 2020 to Donald Trump by a three-point margin, and Republicans have only increased their numbers since then.
But when it comes to deep-pocketed donors, Florida certainly still retains a starring role — for both Democrats and Republicans.
Biden was heading to two pricey fundraisers, so neighborhood campaign stops were likely out of the question, even a stop at the Bay of Pigs Memorial or a Liberty City landmark.
But Florida donors have already poured millions into Biden’s political operation over the past year. Some big donors, according to the Miami Herald: Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-owner Avram Glazer, who has poured $350,000 into the Biden Victory Fund, and Kirk Wagar, a prominent Miami Shores-based Democratic donor, gave $6,600 into Biden’s campaign and another $25,000 to Biden’s joint fundraising committee.
Nikki Haley, who still hopes to challenge Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, is also planning a Florida fundraising swing. She’s reportedly coming to Palm Beach on Wednesday.
Florida’s political landscape has changed. Voter registration data released by the state last week showed that there are now nearly 780,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. That’s the kind of advantage that would have been unthinkable a decade ago when there were nearly 450,000 more registered Democratic voters than Republican voters, the Miami Herald reported.
Long a swing state, critical in any presidential election, Florida isn’t exactly the nail-biter it used to be. So the next time you hear that traffic in Miami-Dade will be disrupted by a presidential motorcade, know that the visit has little to do with your vote.
Instead of swing state, it looks like Florida will have to get used to a new label: cash cow.
