First Lady Michelle Obama gave high-powered pep talks to students in Gainesville and Tallahassee Monday on why they should work for her husband's re-election in November.
Her speeches echoed her appearance at the Democratic National Convention earlier this month, but were more tailored to young people.
"As I shared during my convention speech, when we were first married, Barack and I, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage,” Mrs. Obama said. “So when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we've been there. That's why Barack doubled funding for Pell grants and fought so hard to keep interest rates down."
The First Lady drew nearly 11,000 people to the Stephen O'Connell Center at the University of Florida and nearly 9,000 to the Tallahassee-Leon Civic Center.
She closed with an appeal for Florida students to get out the vote.
"Everything is at stake in November,” said Mrs. Obama. “And as my husband has said, this election is going to be even closer than the last one. And it could all come down to what happens in a few key battleground states – yes, like Florida."
Underscoring the importance of the state's youth vote, George P. Bush - son of former Governor Jeb Bush - also toured campuses Monday. He was launching a bus tour to reach out to young Republicans.