LAKELAND — With just 10 days remaining until Election Day, Vice President Mike Pence held the first major party rally in Polk County of the 2020 presidential campaign to push Republicans and conservatives to the polls for President Donald Trump.
“Remember, friends don’t let friends vote alone,” Pence said. “Bring a family member, bring a neighbor and vote to re-elect President Trump for four more years.”
“Here in Florida, you believe we could be strong again, you believe we could be prosperous again. You said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016 and I know that Florida is going to say yes to Florida resident President Donald Trump in 2020.”
A crowd of roughly 1,000 attendees waited hours on the tarmac outside Sheltair Aviation LAL’s hanger at Lakeland Linder International Airport on Saturday afternoon to hear the vice president speak, some having traveled from as far as Texas. Hours waiting in hot October sun for Pence’s delayed arrival did not dampen the rallygoers' enthusiasm.
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“Here in Florida, you believe we could be strong again, you believe we could be prosperous again,” Pence said. “You said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016 and I know that Florida is going to say yes to Florida resident President Donald Trump in 2020.”
Pence’s stop was part of the Trump campaign’s push through the Sunshine State over the weekend. The president appeared in Northwest Florida with a stop in Pensacola and then followed with a rally at The Villages in Central Florida on Friday. After the rally in Lakeland, Pence closed Saturday with an evening event in Tallahassee.
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The vice president came to Lakeland to address Polk County residents on a variety of topics including the economy, jobs, health care and COVID-19. He didn’t arrive until approximately 5:15 p.m., nearly two hours after the rally’s scheduled start, offering that “I ran here as fast as I could” as an explanation.
Pence said Trump’s actions in passing the 2018 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act paired with his trade war with China has helped create “the most prosperous economy in American history.” He cited Florida’s low unemployment rate and job creation.
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“We’ll maintain unrivaled military might, ensure peace through American strength, become a manufacturing superpower and end our reliance on China once and for all."
The vice president said the president’s actions brought 500,000 manufacturing jobs back to the United States, including 28,000 jobs to Florida. In addition, Pence said the president’s measures for business deregulation and fair trade deals, like revising the North American Free Trade Agreement, created 7 million new jobs — including 55,000 in Florida.
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While Pence didn’t address COVID-19's negative impacts on Polk’s economy, he praised the president’s response to save thousands of American lives with a travel ban on China and ready distribution of supplies. The vice president, chair of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, promised under Operation Warp Speed, there will be a vaccine for the virus before 2020 ends with tens of millions of doses for citizens.
Pence offered a string of promises to those in attendance, should Trump be re-elected for a second term.
“We’ll maintain unrivaled military might, ensure peace through American strength, become a manufacturing superpower and end our reliance on China once and for all,” he said. "We’ll hire more police, we will increase penalties on those who harm law enforcement officers and ban sanctuary cities across the nation.”
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“When we talk about this being a fork in the road for the country, that fork is right here in Central Florida. It's the I-4 corridor. Where we are standing right now will determine the future presidency of the United States and the next four years. The president knows it, we know it, we’ve got to get out and vote.”
Pence briefly recognized local law enforcement including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd for their work, his words met with wild applause.
Several Polk area Republicans spoke to rallygoers well in advance of Pence’s arrival, starting at the scheduled time of 3:30 p.m. Lakeland Commissioner Scott Franklin, running as the Republican candidate for U.S. House District 15, placed emphasis on his background as a veteran and encouraged those seeking to preserve individual freedoms to vote for Trump.
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Franklin said that Polk and Florida will play a key role in the 2020 election.
“When we talk about this being a fork in the road for the country, that fork is right here in Central Florida. It's the I-4 corridor,” he said. “Where we are standing right now will determine the future presidency of the United States and the next four years. The president knows it, we know it, we’ve got to get out and vote.”
“Get out and vote so I can go to Washington and give Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi her walking papers."
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Republican from Sarasota running against two challengers for his second term representing District 17, encouraged rallygoers to vote the Republican line and help flip the House of Representatives.
District 17 is one of the largest in Florida, spanning 6,300 square miles from Fort Myers to just south of Winter Haven. The district covers a southern swath of Polk County — including Bartow, Fort Meade and Frostproof — and all or part of eight other counties.
“Get out and vote so I can go to Washington and give Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi her walking papers,” he said to loud applause.
Steube’s speech was briefly interrupted by whistles and cheers as the sound of a jet touching down could be heard, rallygoers hopeful that Pence had arrived. It was the first of many times that occurred during the event as Amazon Prime jets frequently took off and landed from their new Lakeland Linder hub.
Other speakers included Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz, who delivered the opening prayer with an emphasis being pro-life, and J.C. Martin, chairman of the Polk County Republican Party, who led the pledge of allegiance.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545.
Current Voting Totals
Updated voting numbers as of Sunday from the Florida Division of Elections:
Polk County
• Voted by Mail (104,332): 46,937 Democrats, 35,706 Republicans, 20,483 no party affiliation, 1,206 other
• Voted Early (53,625): 23,890 Republicans, 19,609 Democrats, 9,477 no party affiliation, 649 other
Florida
• Voted By Mail (3,705,789): 1,744,527 Democrats, 1,150,417 Republicans, 765,729 no party affiliation, 45,116 other
• Voted Early (2,000,504): 926,204 Republicans, 695,943 Democrats, 353,675 no party affiliation, 24,682 other
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