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Down to the Wire: Trump, Clinton Backers Pound the Pavement in Florida

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MIAMI – Republican volunteers in Florida are working hard. They honk horns, knock on doors and make phone calls by the thousands to spread a familiar message: "Make America Great Again."

"They've been very nice about it," Mary Lou Gordon, a volunteer for the Donald Trump campaign, told CBN News. "I've only had maybe a couple of people who just don't have the time or hang up on me, but I've been very surprised at the response, very pleased."

"I'm getting tremendous response, tremendous feedback," volunteer Todd Scime said. "A lot of people are volunteering and holding signs."

"I'm very encouraged and everyone I talk to is very encouraged," volunteer Jackie Durfee said.

In Florida, Trump and the Republican Party have roughly 70,000 volunteers. With 29 electoral votes, it's the third largest state and one of the most diverse with red and blue regions making it one big purple prize.

"I think people here are passionate about voting for Trump and about our country," Elaine Buechler told CBN News.

These volunteers understand Trump is down in the polls, but they say they've run into a lot of so-called closet voters.

"My yard guy saw my Trump sign in the yard and he's African-American and I said, 'You're not mad at me, are you?' And he said, 'No!' He says, 'I'm for Trump and my neighbors in my neighborhood are too," Gordon said. "They're just being very low key about it because they don't want to get in trouble."

One group Trump needs to win in Florida is evangelicals.

"What we've got to see is people that love the Church, love Israel, [and are] against abortion," Rodney Howard-Brown, with The River Church in Tampa, said. "That's what's going to make the difference."

He says he's not convinced by the storylines that Trump is going down in flames.

"People are seeing through it," he said. "They understand that there's another agenda going on, and I think they might not come out publicly like I'm coming out. But when they go to vote, they're going to vote and I think we're going to have a landslide come November the 8th."

So what's the vibe with the Clinton campaign? The mood among Clinton campaign volunteers in Florida is 'steady as she goes' – calm, cool, collected.

But there is another word as well when it comes to organization on the ground and that is methodical. Trump may have enthusiasm, but Clinton has the numbers: 90,000 volunteers and roughly 500 full-time workers.

Mary Lamont, a Clinton volunteer, runs a phone bank out of her home and is ready for history to be made.

"She's a woman. How fabulous is that?" she said. "It's about time, it's about time. She's a smart woman. I think she cares about all of us."

The thinking among Democratic volunteers is to stay positive. They've heard the chatter that Clinton is the typical politician and Trump is the change candidate. But they won't even talk about losing.

"I haven't even thought of that," volunteer Michelle Stagnitta said. "She's going to win. Close your eyes and don't even think about it. She's going to win."

Early voting is underway and with thousands of ballots already in, it appears to be an even split between Democrats and Republicans. But what will it all mean come election night?

"It's Florida so it's never a runaway race for anybody," Tampa Bay Times political editor Adam Smith told CBN News. "It's almost always going to be a nail biter."

Smith says he'll be looking for one key specific on Nov. 8.

"If you start to see Tampa Bay, that is Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, Pascoe County, look there. If Trump doesn't have a significant lead in Pascoe County starting out, it's going to be a bad night," he predicted.

"And then it's Florida so you can also look for somebody to botch it up and for us to be waiting all night long for results to come in," he added.

It may be a long night in Florida and definitely a very long presidential campaign.

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About The Author

David
Brody

David Brody is a thirty-four-year veteran of the television industry and currently serves as Chief Political Analyst for CBN News. He’s interviewed many prominent national figures across the political spectrum during his time at the Christian Broadcasting Network, including former President Donald Trump. During Trump’s administration, David interviewed him at the White House, aboard Air Force One, and at Mar-a-Lago. He’s also interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo three times each. In addition, David has provided on-air political analysis for CNN