We’re now less than a month away from the 2020 General Election, here’s what’s going on.
Information accurate as of 2:06 p.m. 10-05-20. Full statistics can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website.
Similar to a report we published last week, data from the Florida Division of Elections shows Democrats still outnumbering Republicans in a GOP-led state when it comes to vote-by-mail ballots.
Last week, out of the 5.1 million ballots that were sent out in the State of Florida, Democrats made up the majority of it with 2.3 million ballots, almost 70,500 of which were returned. Republicans, meanwhile, made up about 1.6 million of those ballots and returned 36,000.
Now, almost a full week later, the story seems to be the same. According to the Florida Division of Elections, 5,358,017 have been sent out. So far, Democrats have requested 2,452,777 ballots and returned 306,107. Republicans, on the other hand, have requested 1,681,656 ballots and returned 157,978.
In the local area, Volusia County Democrats requested 65,549 of the 159,435 vote-by-mail ballots in the area. So far, 13,442 have returned. Republicans requested 55,554 ballots and have so far only returned 8,691. In Flagler, where 33,494 were requested, Democrats requested 14,550 ballots and returned 548, while Republicans requested 12,117 and returned 316.
Not long after he and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19, President Donald Trump was brought to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to undergo treatment for the virus.
White House Physician Dr. Sean Conley spoke to reporters outside of Walter Reed on Monday, days after Trump was brought to the medical center, to provide an update on the president’s condition.
According to Conley, who said President Trump met or exceeded discharge criteria, it had been 72 hours since Trump’s last fever and his ambulatory saturation and breathing levels seemed normal. Although, while things might seem all well and good, Dr. Conley said he isn’t in the clear just yet.
“Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations and his clinical status support the president’s safe return home,” said Dr. Conley.
During his stay at Walter Reed, President Trump also made a surprise appearance for supporters outside of the institution from the back of an armored SUV—one appearance that garnered overwhelming support and one that certainly started to raise questions. Soon after, reporters and news outlets began to question the safety of the Secret Service agents who were in the SUV along with the president. Those agents will now have to quarantine for 14 days, per CDC guidelines.
While President Trump was waiting to be discharged from Walter Reed, Democratic candidate Joe Biden was campaigning around Miami in an attempt to garner support from the Haitian-American and Cuban-American communities before attending a town hall event.
During his town hall event, Biden was reluctant to comment on the medical conditions of President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. But, Biden did say he was “glad to see the president speaking and recording videos over the weekend." He also urged the president to “listen to the scientists.”
In one of the last joint appearances left in the election season, Marc Bernier invited Volusia County District 4 Representative Heather Post and challenger Barbara Bonarrigo onto the program for a discussion about local issues. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be long until both candidates began to target each other.
Only three minutes into the interview, Bonarrigo started to comment on Post’s job performance in District 4, following a question about wanting to run in order to help small businesses.
“As a business owner, I can work together and build bridges,” said Bonarrigo. “We got to build bridges with the city, the county, the state, and small businesses, and that’s not being done right now in District 4.”
“That’s what I’ve been hearing from concerned citizens I’ve been talking to, hundreds of them.”
Immediately, Post responded to Bonarrigo’s comments, saying that she is basing her actions and statements off things “people are telling her” which is “someone we don’t need in office.”
“We need people that actually get facts, look into facts, and do their actions based on facts,” said the incumbent. “There’s been a number of statements made that I’ve been very ineffective in my role.”
The discussion continued until Post asked Bonarrigo if she had the “chutzpah” to face her colleagues, citing her fight for Amendment 10 where she was often the only county council member to support the amendment. It was at that point that Marc had to interject, as both guests began to argue with each other.
“I want this to be clear, I’m doing an interview, I’m not doing a debate,” said Bernier.
The last scheduled joint appearance will include candidates for Florida House of Representatives District 27. That will broadcast live from WNDB on October 12th. You can find past interviews and more on Marc’s website, MarcBernierShow.com
