Obama heads to Florida for Biden, Trump returns to The Villages

Former President Barack Obama will campaign Saturday in Miami for former Vice President Joe Biden, according to the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign.

The Biden campaign did not say where Obama will visit or what he will do in Miami. Biden served as Obama’s vice president from 2009-2017.

Obama’s trip to Florida — a key battleground state — comes at a crucial time in the campaign.

Floridians are voting early and by mail in record numbers. And both Biden and President Donald Trump have made repeated visits this month to the state to win over voters and push supporters to fill out their ballots before Election Day on Nov. 3.

Trump will fly into South Florida early Friday morning following a second presidential debate with Biden in Tennessee.

He’s scheduled to hold campaign rallies later Friday in two of Florida’s Republican strongholds as he tries to turn out supporters.

Trump is slated to hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Friday in The Villages, a massive Central Florida retirement community that is a regular stop for GOP candidates, Trump’s campaign said Wednesday.

He will go from The Villages to Pensacola for a 8 p.m. rally in a region that typically provides large margins for Republicans. He plans to cast a ballot in West Palm Beach as part of a “Trump the Vote” effort around the state to encourage in-person early voting by Republicans.

Trump has voted by mail in the two elections that have passed since he declared his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach as his and First Lady Melania Trump’s permanent private residence late last year. He voted by mail in the presidential preference primary in March, and again in Florida’s August election.

Vice President Mike Pence will campaign Saturday in Lakeland and Tallahassee. Pence is slated to appear at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Lakeland International Airport and then will hold a rally at 6:30 p.m. at Tallahassee International Airport, the Trump campaign announced Thursday.

Polls indicate Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden are in a toss-up race in Florida, widely viewed as a crucial state for Trump’s re-election bid.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.

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