Report: 'Florida May Be Falling From Obama's Grasp'

Barack Obama could be on the verge of falling out of contention in Florida.

Despite spending an estimated $8-million on campaign ads in America's biggest battleground state and putting in place the largest Democratic campaign organization ever in Florida, Obama has lost ground over the summer. Florida has moved from a toss-up state to one that clearly leans toward John McCain, fueling speculation about how much longer the Democratic nominee will continue investing so heavily in the state.

Obama can still win Florida despite the polling gains McCain has made since naming Sarah Palin his running mate, and there is no sign Obama is pulling back in Florida yet. Far from it. Obama allies say he has about 350 paid staffers in the state and about 50 field offices, including in places not known as fertile ground for Democrats, such as Sun City Center, Lake City and Sebring.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Andman0121]

I never really take any election poll seriously anyway. One candidate is up and down week by week. Besides, its important to know how they conduct the polls anyway. For instance, if they do it by cell phone they need to realize that the poorer voters may not have easy availability for their calls (hence McCain being ahead). Its stuff like that that we need to consider.

On a side note it completely blows my mind this man would be ahead in ANY poll ANYWHERE. If by miracle he wins this election then I will be forced to admit that Florida is a collection of imbeciles. And that is saying a lot since I grew up in O-H-I-O

[Anonani]

Nothing shall be conceded until the last vote is cast.

[research]

The Polls are BS. Why are you all getting twisted out of shape over it?

[jayevans20]

I don't think he is going to win florida any way. If you look at the electorial map he don't need florida. However, he needs to win Colorado and New Mexico in addition to the states that traditionally goes democrat.


He can do it, We can do it.

Yes we can!

[Doofus]

Indeed. YES WE CAN.

But it's going to take states like Colorado & New Mexico & Virginia,
Nevada & New Hampshire to get there, along with all the true Blue
states of past elections. Any other Red states care to get on board,
they're welcome. Hold on, America, help is on the way.

(Just back from an Obama rally!)

[ProudLiberalDan]

The whole "new politics" gimmick which helped Obama win (barely) against an ideologically similar opponent has been a total disaster in the general election. There just simply isn't a new politics majority out there. Most people want a fighter and want someone who will fight for their interests.

If Obama hadn't squandered the last three months fooishly believing "new politics" would have been as effective in the general as it had been in the primary, he might have done something useful like destroy John McCain by using his own gaffes against him in television ads or aggressively take on the conservative movement for their failed conservative policies.

The key to winning Florida is in the senior vote and the pro-choice vote in the south. Ads should have been run showing McCain's clip of him saying social security was a "disgrace" and his prior support for privitization. There are probably also anti-Medicare votes and comments by him too. The Obama campaign could also have a commerical with a woman who was tragically raped and impregnated discuss how McCain/Palin would use the power of government to force her to carry the pregnancy to term. The Democrats need to leave this "new politics" farce behind and start fighting for the Presidency like they want it as bad as the conservatives do.

[UnknownSoldier]

I read on one of the right wing nut websites that they want to organize a red state sucession if 0bama wins. Not start another civil war, but they think the country is too divided ideologically. They were discussing how Liberal Policies are bad, and that if their states do not vote for 0bama they should not be subject to his rules or laws.

To be honest I think they may be on to something, maybe we should start looking to split the country up. Let the Republicans run their states the way they want too. If they don't want women to have equal pay, or the Right to choose how and when they want to reproduce, I'd be more than happy to have all the women that believe in those things come live in New York.

If they don't like universal healthcare and social security, I'd be happy to have all of those small businesses that want to compete with Europe and 3rd world countries that offer gov't healthcare without worrying about the expense of Healthcare on their bottom line, they are more than welcome to come to New York.

Let the Red StateRs run their states the way they want too, but they should have to pay for it with their own tax revenues. NOT MINE


Flordia Fall in Line, or fall out of favor.

ENOUGH!!!

[Bullyness]

Great reporting, the article states Obama might lose Florida or he might win Florida. Fantastic reporting.

[Dancer]

Don't be too sure about Obama getting Florida (but wouldn't it be LOVERLY)...that's why they call it FloriDUH!!!!!

[Marichu]

The early demise of BO's chance of winning Florida is greatly exaggerated. The key to winning Florida lies along the I-4 corridor. This highway snakes diagonally south from Tampa to Daytona Beach through the Bellwether counties of Florida. A local political science professor called it "the highway of heaven for the candidates ¦ and the most politically active in the state." Due to the large hotel and tourist industries the people who live in central Florida (especially the Orlando area) tend to be more transient, more diverse and are from all different parts of the country.

BO needs to rev-up his presences either by coming himself or by sending surrogates. HC made an appearance here in Tampa last week, but the event was hardly mentioned by the local news media and the venue had limited capacity.

Winning the I-4 corridor, particularly the Tampa and Orlando metro areas, will almost certainly deliver BO the state of Florida; with North Florida and South Florida usually canceling each other out (North Florida going Republican, South Florida going Democratic). As they say down here, as goes the I-4 corridor, so goes the state.

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

All of my extended family lives in Fla. All but my brother in Orlando. With the exception of my very old, staunch conservative republican parents, my family is firmly with the Dems. My sister married and converted to Judaism about 28 years ago. I talked to her the other day, and she said that there is a vast amount of alarm among the Jewish population due to McCain's pick of this rightwing nutjob fundie. The Jewish community is mobilizing like they never have, to get out the vote and register new voters, predominantly Jewish and other minorities, to beat this goofball. This might be all that is needed to swing Fla. blue. Funny thing is, most of the Jewish population was in the boat for McCain prior to Palin. Good choice, McBarelySane!!

[Marichu]

Trollstakeyourmeds

Good to see a large voting block organizing and mobilizing for the upcoming election. This will be an instance were every single vote will be crucial.

[Graywolf48]

Florida is a divided state and hate filled state. I lived there for 30 years. The north of Florida is an extension of south Georgia and Alabama. Very conservative, bible thumping, redneck Republican. This continues down the center of the state, but to a lesser degree. The southeast, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade, are a different dynamic. These counties can be available to the right Democrat. All three counties are divided (and subdivided) into many disparate groups: white, Hispanic (predominately Cuban) and Black (African America, Haitian and Caribbean blacks). Cuban's are almost totally Republican since the Bay of Pigs which they blame JFK and the Democrats. Mexican and Central American Hispanics who can legally vote usually avoid the polls because of problems with ID. African-Americans mostly vote Democratic, but are usually purged from the rolls in large numbers or don't have photo ID. Florida still has Diebold and Republican election supervisors. Florida whites (who already feel besieged) will not vote for Obama. Neither will Cubans. He'll do well with African-American's and maybe the Jewish vote. I doubt he has a chance in Florida. McCain has always had tge lead and Crist and Jeb will deliver the state again.

[isis]

Obama is the mature candidate and Biden is the salt of the earth.

[whozit]

Where is Hillary??? MSM said she could lock it up. Looks like she really does not care if the Dems lose. SNL had her dead on last night.

[Erdgeist]

All Obama has to do to win is stay within the MoE and have a powerful grass roots organization. Polls, since 1952, on AVERAGE, show ONLY a one-point difference between presidential candidates. Key is mobilization - not poll watching.

[AgeofReason]

Stop worrying so much about the polls. Too many folks here are playing into the Trolls' hands, and there are more troll comments on this article than most others. Chill out! The pollsters have admitted that their recent polls have been sampling too many republicans to be as accurate as possible. Not only that, they are not polling new registrants (unbelievable Democratic) or those without land-lines. Lots of people with land-lines don't answer calls from unknown callers, so basically the pollsters are reaching people who are older and who either have no caller ID or who are lonely and will talk to anyone. The polls are way off. Also, the debates are yet to come. Just relax!

[RealHRCFansVoteObama]

If McCain wins Florida, it will be personality over issues.

Doesn't Florida have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation? At least some of this is result of lending practices that were made possible with the help of one of his favorite advisors, Phil we're-a-nation-of-whiners Graham and, as Obama rightly points out, the result of the government being asleep at the switch.

McCain is arguing for less regulation of financial industries in response to our economic crisis, but recent history does not make a good argument for leaving captains of industry to their own devices without a watchdog. McCain is essentially arguing for more of the same, and if the voters choose it, they will have no one to blame but themselves.