TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Like other Americans, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are steering clear of battleground Florida, where Hurricane Matthew threatened to wreak havoc on the final stretch of presidential campaigning.
The campaigns rushed Thursday to move staff and volunteers, close offices and cancel events in the path of the storm. And as many Floridians heeded calls to evacuate, both candidates began the delicate and difficult task of pursuing votes during a crisis.
“Even if you want to do politics, no one is there to listen,” said Steve Schale, a Democratic consultant who directed or advised Barack Obama’s campaigns in the state in 2008 and 2012.
Clinton’s campaign asked the state for more time to register voters – a request Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected – and the Trump team pulled its negative TV ads.
“Please know that we are praying for you and everyone in the path,” Trump said Thursday night at a town hall event in New Hampshire. “You’ve got to take care of yourself, you’ve got to get out of the area, you’ve got to listen.”