‘Hoping to flip Florida blue,’ Biden supporters rally for votes along Green Bridge
Dozens of Joe Biden supporters took to the Green Bridge over the Manatee River on Monday morning, waving to residents headed to work in hopes of helping the former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate win the state.
“I’m hoping to flip Florida blue,” Maggie Ozner said. “That’s my dream.”
Scared by the current state of the country, Ozner, 74, a retired accountant, has helped organize regular sign and waving events since August to build support for Biden.
“He’s a good man. He’s honest,” Ozner said.
Biden supporters waved from the Palmetto side of the bridge, while a smaller group of Republicans gathered further down at the base of the bridge.
But there appeared to be no discord between the two groups. Ozner called their interactions cordial and was she exhilarated by the positive energy despite the chilly air on Monday morning.
“This is what I can do to let people know that Biden has a lot of support in Florida, the majority of support,” Mitch Mallet said. “We need to restore sanity to America.”
Mallet, 64, the former vice chairman of the Manatee County Democratic Party and a solar energy specialist, waved an American flag as he explained his concerns over what he described as President Donald Trump’s administration’s lack of a plan to deal with the country’s troubles.
“We need to deal with issues like climate change and healthcare,” he said. “And it just seems to me that Trump wants to destroy the fate of our country.”
As of Monday morning, more than 172,000 ballots had already been cast in Manatee County — about 63% of registered voters.
For Maureen Dardinski, 64, a former health information professional, healthcare is also a major reason she supports Biden.
“I personally feel having worked in healthcare for years and years that he has a plan to make sure everyone has or keeps their insurance,” Dardinski said. “I’ve seen what happens when people don’t have healthcare.”
Dardinski, who also helped organize Monday’s demonstration, believes that Biden has a message about unity while the president resorts to name-calling and insults.
“Democrats and Republicans can’t even talk anymore without someone getting upset,” she said.
