TAMPA, Fla. — President Joe Biden is set to visit Tampa on Tuesday to talk about reproductive rights, just one week before Florida's abortion ban goes into effect.
ABC Action News Political Analyst Dr. Susan MacManus said this is a major move for the Democratic party in its efforts to prove Florida is still a winnable state.
"To prove his point that Florida is winnable, coming here is important step number one," Dr. MacManus explained.
However, the man leading the young republicans of Tampa told us President Biden's visit to is a waste of time. Executive Director of Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Jake Hoffman, said Florida is not in play for the president.
"It's just not true. It's been a republican controlled state for many, many years," Hoffman added.
Dr. MacManus said there is a chance to flip Florida to purple, which lies with young voters registered as having no party affiliation.
"There's still a chance it could be a swing state for the simple reason that around 27% of our registrants are registered as no party affiliation, and if they were all to swing in one direction or another, it would make it much more competitive," Dr. MacManus said.
Hoffman believes former President Donald Trump already has the Sunshine State.
"I think Florida is solidly red. I think it will go towards Trump. I don't think he really has to do that much work in Florida. I think he has a huge fan base here," Hoffman explained.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Hillsborough County Young Democrats, Jordi Zapata, disagrees.
"I think to have it here where the former president is running his campaign while he's in trial, I think that somebody should show that contrast, and the current president should come and visit more often," Zapata said.
He told us President Biden needs to speak to issues concerning Floridians the most.
"Property insurance, the affordability crisis, infrastructure that's crumbling around the state, a lot of things that the governor has refused to incur a lot of federal dollars for, we should still put those issues at the forefront to voters. I think if he still makes that play and he tries to respond to those issues to voters, younger voters will see that, and they'll respond in kind during election day," Zapata added.
The time and location of the president's visit on Tuesday has yet to be announced.
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