Clinton backed by building trades union, female economic org

But the fact that Clinton has secured such a large portion of organized labor’s support ahead of the first nominating contests in February shows the momentum she is gaining ahead of the general election in November 2016, when union workers are traditionally important on-the-ground foot soldiers for Democratic candidates.

Royal blue signs that read “Puerto Ricans for H” and “Latinos for H” dotted the crowd and, as the program began, a guitarist strummed a cover of the popular song “Bailando” in Spanish. “We are a nation of immigrants, we need to understand that and support it”, said Clinton as she tried to appeal to Florida’s diversity while also taking aim at republican candidates.

Fifty percent of Democrats support Clinton, the former secretary of state, while 36 percent support Sanders, according to a five-day rolling poll from Reuters/Ipsos dated Tuesday.

News4Jax political analyst Jennifer Carroll says Clinton is making a misstep by holding a private event, instead of a public one.

But Florida’s rich Democratic donors continue to pull Clinton back, and lurking beneath her primary dominance is another set of poll numbers that are more worrisome for the Clinton campaign.

“The reason for coming is not just the weather”, she said. Clinton said, noting Scott’s rejection in 2011 of $2 billion in federal money for high-speed rail.

Some Clinton supporters at Wednesday’s rally said they believe Clinton would have the best chance in the general election if Trump is the Republican nominee.

“It is sad that Hillary Clinton refuses to be straightforward with Floridians on how she would pay for her trillion-dollar spending increase while demanding her challengers outline how they’d pay for theirs”, said Florida Republican Party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia. Clinton’s feeble defense that she had rallied behind NY and Wall Street after the 9/11 terrorist attacks fell flat, while Sanders’s social media following soared. She quipped that so many Puerto Ricans are moving to the greater Orlando area that “some are even starting to call central Florida Puerto Rico’s municipality”.

Clinton said Florida has four of the nation’s worst traffic bottlenecks and that Orlando commuters, for example, spend 46 hours a year behind the wheel because of traffic congestion.

In the email, Clinton said, if Mitt Romney couldn’t beat Newt Gingrich in Florida, “there will be pressure on state Republican parties to open or liberalize ballot access especially in the caucuses, which as we know are creatures of the parties’ extremes”. She says Florida is a key state due to its demographics and large population.