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Former President Barack Obama endorsed 81 Democratic candidates in the upcoming mid-term elections on Wednesday, signaling for the first time his plans to help his party's fight for control of Congress and state capitals.
But none of the candidates he pledged to help are in Florida.
It appears that is because the state has yet to hold its primary election and Obama isn't interjecting in inter-party decisions, at least not in this wave of endorsements. He previously supported Sen. Diane Feinstein in her California primary.
That doesn't necessarily explain why he hasn't backed Sen. Bill Nelson, who doesn't have a Democratic primary opponent and is looking ahead to a likely November election against Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is putting his thumb on the scale in GOP races across the country, including the Republican primary for governor in Florida. Trump held a rally in Tampa on Tuesday for U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, who faces Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is doing the same. The Vermont Senator endorsed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum on Wednesday in his Democratic primary for Florida governor.
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