If President Barack Obama is going to win Florida, he could use a big assist from former President Bill Clinton.
It’s no accident that Clinton is prominently featured in new television ads for Obama and that he was the biggest speaker of the night Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.
“Bill Clinton is golden in Florida,” said Dan Smith, a University of Florida political science professor.
Clinton, who is morphing into the role of the party’s elder statesman, has a long history of doing well with Florida voters. But just as importantly, Clinton speaks to demographics that have been difficult for Obama to unlock this year as he did in 2008. Specifically, Clinton appeals to older voters in Florida and could make inroads with working-class white male voters.
“Bill Clinton needs to reach out to a demographic that has been slipping away from Democrats,” Smith said.
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