Obama Urges Floridians To 'Get Out & Vote' At FIU
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — President Barack Obama is back in Florida rallying support for Hillary Clinton and urging voters to head to the polls early.
The president flew in Wednesday night and was met by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine as he stepped off Air Force One.
Thursday morning, Obama headlined a "get out and vote" rally at Florida International University.
"Five more days to decide the future," Obama said to the young crowd, many of whom are voting for the first time. "The good news is that you don't have to wait for Election Day to vote."
Making it easy for the millennials, the president then rattled off a nearby address where they could early vote. "Plug this into your phones if you haven't voted. It's at 10315 northwest 12th street in Doral. I mean, we're making this really simple for you."
For many, Obama is the only president they know.
"This is my first time seeing Obama, man. That's the president," said Dwyane Thompson, who's voting for Clinton. "He was a good example for all of us. So I had to see him for his last term."
It was perhaps the most personal version of the president that South Florida has ever seen.
"There is only one candidate in this race who has devoted her life to building up that America," he said. "And that is the next President of the United States of America, Hilary Clinton!"
Over the 45-minute speech, Obama leaned over the podium and went off script, not holding back as he bashed Republican candidate Donald Trump and Republicans alike.
"There is not even a hint of a plan," he said. "There's no plan. Nothing. Zero. Nada. Come on!"
As his eight-year term comes to an end, Democrats are concerned.
"It's frightening. It's very frightening," said Gina Alder. "Because if Trump wins it's a disaster."
Many remember how close previous elections were.
"I think Florida is too close to call," said Ron Bilbao. "And that's what is always so scary. Razor thin in 2012. Razor thin in 2008."
Other Clinton supporters weren't afraid.
"I feel really confident," said Emily Boeving. "We are going to do this. We are going to win this thing."
This is the president's second visit to Florida in less than a week. He campaigned in Orlando last week and will be back there on Sunday.
In Florida, Clinton leads Trump by a margin of 46 percent to 45 percent, with third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein combining for 4 percent, according to the poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University. Clinton led Trump by four points in an October 17th Quinnipiac poll.
Quinnipiac described the races in Florida and North Carolina, another key battleground, as "too close to call."
"It's very nerve-racking," said first-time voter Victoria Mendez. "I didn't think the election would take such a crazy turn as it did. But I'm very excited to see what happens."
Gaby Pacheco introduced the President. She's one of the original dreamers, a daughter of immigrants fighting for immigration reform -- a pledge President Obama didn't exactly fulfill.
"Living in South Florida, knowing how important Florida is for the election, I feel nervous," she said. "Though there were some broken promises there were some things that helped our community tremendously."
Pacheco is hopeful Clinton will address it further.
"This is somebody who has dedicated her life to making this country better," President Obama said. "Think about how she got her start. While Donald Trump and his developer dad were being sued by the Justice Department for denying housing to African American families, Hillary was going undercover from school to school making sure minority kids were getting an equal shot at a good education. She has not stopped fighting for justice, fighting for equality ever since."
And the president said he has first-hand knowledge of Clinton's drive and determination.
"Works hard every single day," he said. "I know. She worked hard when she was running against me. I was worn out. She worked hard when she was working for me. She was there in the situation room as my secretary of state, making the argument to go after Bin Laden even when it was risky. Circled the globe as secretary of state. Earned the respect of world leaders."
Following the speech at FIU, Obama jetted off to Jacksonville.
Trump, meanwhile, holds a 5-point lead in Ohio, while Clinton leads by the same margin in Pennsylvania.
(The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.)
