Florida is the holiday destination with guaranteed sunshine, the home of Mickey Mouse and Disney World, Cape Canaveral’s space launches, and the art-deco cool of Miami Beach.
At least, that’s the version in the brochures. It is also a fiercely contested battleground in every US election, and this year’s rancorous race to the White House is no different.
The Florida of the elections is not the one in travel agents’ windows. It is fought in the wide open spaces of agricultural land, endless interstates and murky swamps. This state is home to a crucial 29 electoral college votes. It’s usually close here — Barack Obama got the nod over Mitt Romney by a single percentage point last time around.
The demographics add a layer of intrigue. It is a retirees’ paradise with the largest percentage of seniors in any US state, and Hispanic voters are a growing proportion of the electorate.
Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump: US Presidential Election
I travelled the length of Florida in a bright red open-top Mustang.
Among our first stops was Florida A&M University, a traditionally African-American college. Young voters here were unimpressed with the candidates.
“I’m disappointed,” one 18-year-old woman told me, “it’s my first time to vote and it’s just not like what I expected or I’ve seen in previous elections.”
They would be voting nonetheless, and not for Donald Trump.
A group of female students at Tallahassee’s Florida State University said they wanted a “role model”. They would all be voting for Hillary Clinton.
But at nearby Poor Paul’s Pour House, a rowdy bar and grill, Trump held sway.
“Donald Trump is much better than Hillary, so we don’t have much choice,” one woman told me. “Get her out of here,” growled another, “get Hillary out of here.”
In the citrus groves of central Florida we found a family of farmers who just wanted someone prepared to advance their agenda in the Supreme Court. They also wanted to see more civility. “We hope we can have leaders who inspire us at the end,” one said.
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Down in Miami, I met hip hop star DJ Irie, a Clinton supporter with positive personal experience of Trump. “He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” Irie told me. “When I see him on the campaign trail, this is not the same person that I spent time with.”
Both Clinton and Trump have visited Florida twice in the past week and polls put the state firmly in play.
However, with about 1.5 million early votes already cast, this particular orange cake may already be baked.
Richard Quest is anchor of Quest Means Business on CNN.
