So this is interesting

| 9:09 am EDT October 7, 2024
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

With just one month to go until the election, this is the time when presidential candidates tend to start narrowing their focus. States that might have been slightly in reach start getting reluctantly crossed off the list, in favor of the states that are the tightest and most crucial. Donald Trump, for instance, has recently given up on his long shot effort to bring Minnesota and New Hampshire into play, instead shifting those resources to his must-win states like Pennsylvania.

But in a sign that this is a different kind of election, the Kamala Harris campaign just announced that it’s opening another office Duval County, Florida. This is a swing region that just elected a Democratic mayor in Jacksonville, and is full of moderate voters who could be steered toward voting for Harris over Trump regardless of party lines.

What’s notable is that Kamala Harris is opening this office with just one month to go in the election. It’s the latest sign that the Harris campaign is indeed flush with fundraising cash, thanks to the momentum that her candidacy has engendered. But it’s also a sign that the Harris campaign increasingly sees Florida in play – and it may not be just about the presidential race.

Polling is often wrong, but polling does show that the Senate race in Florida is closer than the presidential race in Florida. This could be less about Kamala Harris trying to flip Florida for herself (though that would be a nice Electoral College cushion) and more about driving turnout in Florida for Harris in a way that helps Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to defeat Rick Scott. Such a victory would likely give the Democrats control over the Senate.

So the ongoing Kamala Harris incursion into Florida is worth watching. Based on where she’s been campaigning, Florida is not among her biggest priorities. But given how she’s continuing to ramp up her spending and personnel in the state, Florida is clearly something of a priority for her. With just a month to go, it suggests she’s seeing something in her internal polls in the state that she likes. Donate now