Now that Florida’s early voting period is over, both the Obama and Romney campaigns are setting their sights on high voter turnout for Election Day.
A grassroots event in Broward County was President Obama’s second stop in a one-day blitz of four battleground states.
“Fired up! Ready to vote!” was the chant of an estimated 23,000 Obama supporters crowded into the football field of Hollywood’s McArthur High School on Sunday. During his last Florida appearance before Election Day, the President admitted that the pace of the change he promised during his 2008 campaign has been slow.
“But here’s the thing…you know I say what I mean, and I mean what I say. I said I’d end the war in Iraq – I ended it. I said I’d pass healthcare reform – I passed it. I said I’d repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ – we repealed it. I said we’d make sure the auto industry came back strong. It’s come back strong”, said Obama.
Dwayne Shaw of North Lauderdale was one of thousands who stood in line for hours for a chance to hear the President speak. He says he plans to vote on Tuesday.
“I’m actually very nervous, I’ll be quite honest”, said Shaw. “I’m not confident at all. I think it’s definitely gonna be one of the closer elections that we’ve probably seen in a while.”
Before the Broward County rally, the President campaigned in New Hampshire. Then it was on to Ohio and Colorado.
Meanwhile, Republican challenger Mitt Romney had his own sprint through battleground states on Sunday, holding rallies in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Romney makes his final appeal to Florida voters Monday in Orlando.
