The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida, has been a stronghold for Trump, who won Florida in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Harris’s visit comes after President Joe Biden exited the presidential race last Sunday, following criticism of his debate performance and concerns over his age. Shortly after Biden’s withdrawal, he endorsed Harris for the presidency.
During Harris’s “Weekend of Action” campaign, Democratic candidate Barbie Harden Hall shared videos on X (formerly Twitter) of enthusiastic Harris supporters, capturing the impressive turnout of golf carts. Hall wrote: “HUNDREDS OF GOLF CARTS! And I don’t even know how many supporters throughout the route! The Villages, Florida is FIRED UP for @KamalaHarris.”
These videos quickly gained traction, with Jon Cooper, a Democratic fundraiser, reposting Hall’s footage. As of Sunday afternoon, the video had amassed over 5 million views. “Trust me when I say it’s a SUPER-RED community that’s usually a real hotbed of Trump support. The fact that there are over 200 golf carts at this rally for @KamalaHarris today is INCREDIBLE!” Cooper commented.
In response to the rally’s success, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison appeared on MSNBC’s The Weekend, saying, “The Villages is a ruby red—there were 500 golf cart seniors riding around, and probably voted for Donald Trump, previously, supporting Kamala Harris. This is an energy on the ground I have not seen since Barack Obama in 2008”.
The Florida Democratic Party expressed its support for Harris’s campaign efforts, noting in a press release that she has “energised the entire Democratic base” over the past week. They reported that nearly 10,000 new volunteers from traditionally conservative areas, like The Villages, have joined the fight against Trump and Republican extremism.
With Biden’s recent departure from the race, polls on a potential Harris-Trump matchup are limited. A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll conducted between July 22 and 24 across nine swing states found Trump leading Harris in Florida by 8 percentage points, a slightly larger margin than against her predecessor Biden. The poll surveyed 6,927 voters, though the exact number from Florida was not specified.