Buttigieg to visit Miami to rally support for Biden’s reelection campaign

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will headline a campaign stop in Miami for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid on Friday.

Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Ind. and one-time presidential contender, is expected to join several local mayors in Miami-Dade County, including Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris, South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham and former Miami Shores Mayor Crystal Wagar, according to the Biden campaign.

Buttigieg’s Miami swing comes just days before Biden himself travels to Florida. The president is set to make a campaign stop in Tampa on Tuesday. Buttigieg will be in Miami in a personal capacity, and will not be representing the administration, according to the Biden campaign.

The coming visits to the Sunshine State by Biden and Buttigieg are the latest sign of renewed interest in Florida by the president’s campaign following a pair of state Supreme Court decisions that Democrats are hoping will frame the November elections around abortion rights.

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One ruling paved the way for a six-week ban on abortion to take effect in Florida, while the other allowed a proposed constitutional amendment that would safeguard abortion access up to the point of fetal viability to appear on the ballot. The proposal would also allow for a woman to have an abortion when it’s determined to be medically necessary to protect the patient’s health.

After those rulings were handed down, the Biden campaign issued a memo insisting that Florida is “in play” for Democrats this year, despite lingering doubts about the party’s strength in the state. Florida has tilted increasingly toward Republicans in recent years, and the GOP has racked up a massive voter registration advantage that makes the electoral math for Democrats even more difficult.

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It’s unclear how much Buttigieg will focus on the issue of abortion rights on Friday, if at all. According to the Biden campaign, the event is expected to center on Biden’s efforts to lower costs, as well as highlight the “threats” that former President Donald Trump poses to the country.