Based on his visit to Panama City last week, Florida is on President Donald Trump’s mind as he plans to run for a second term in 2020–and he is getting some help in the Sunshine State while his team has a target of supporters it believes it needs to carry the state again.
The Hill reported last week that America First Action, a Super PAC backing Trump, intends to spend $250 million in six key states, including Florida.
“America First Action super PAC is preparing to pour resources into states with expensive media markets and high numbers of electoral votes. By doing so, it hopes to clear space for Trump’s reelection campaign to spend its money in other key states with cheaper markets,” the Hill reported. “The states identified by America First are Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia, none of which has fewer than 15 electoral votes. The group’s leaders believe a Trump victory is virtually guaranteed in 2020 if he wins all six.”
“We’re going to alleviate the burden on these six states that are must wins. They are the quickest path to the Electoral College,” Kelly Sadler, the communications director for America First Action, told the Hill.
The Hill also offered some insights on what the Trump team believes it needs to do to carry Florida again in 2020.
“Trump’s political team believes it must identify about 972,000 additional voters in Florida to win based on its projection that a record 10.5 million people will cast ballots there in 2020. His advisers believe it has 4.3 million Sunshine State voters ready to turn out for Trump, short of the roughly 5.25 million it will need,” the Hill noted. “It also plans to run advertisements that tout Trump’s achievements and, once the Democratic primary field shakes out, attack specific candidates. The ambitious plans, if they reach fruition, would mark a significant rise for a group that faced criticism from some Republicans and Trump allies who said its efforts were lacking during the 2018 midterms.”
In the meantime, America First Action has a new leader at the helm. Last month, former Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon took over as chairwoman of America First Action’s board of directors.
McMahon, who served as president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), stepped down at SBA at the start of April. She ran twice for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.
“I’m thrilled to be joining America First Action as its chairman,” said McMahon. “During my time at SBA, I traveled all over the country and experienced first-hand how the president’s economic policies are leading to increased business expansion, hiring, and wage increases. With all of President Trump’s historic accomplishments, it’s imperative we help him win another four years in office.”
McMahon “will be engaged in policy advocacy, communications, and rallying the support of millions of grassroots activists across the country” noted America First Action when the PAC announced she was coming on board.
“Linda is an incredible talent, she has not only served in the highest levels of government but also brings a wealth of experience from the private sector as the former CEO of a multinational company,” said America First Action President Brian Walsh. “She’s been a tireless champion for the president, and is the perfect person to chair our organization as we prepare for the 2020 election.”
Kevin Derby can be reached at Kevin.Derby@floridadaily.com.
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