(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden made a trip to Florida on Tuesday in hopes of rallying Democratic voters in the state ahead of the midterm elections.
Biden made a stop in Hallandale Beach, where the White House said he would highlight Republicans’ “very different vision” for America. He also attended a fundraiser for Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and a rally for the state’s Democratic Party, including Senate candidate Val Demings.
During the visit, the president seemed to shift his focus from the issue of abortion to Social Security and Medicare.
He dinged Republican Senate challenger Marco Rubio for not backing his Inflation Reduction Act that includes several health care provisions popular among elderly people, including a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket medical expenses and a $35 monthly cap per prescription of insulin. It requires companies that raise prices faster than inflation to pay Medicare a rebate.
“Not one single Republican voted for it in the United States Senate,” Biden told a crowd at the Hallandale Beach community center. “Every single solitary Republican in Congress voted against these savings, including Sen. Rubio.”
Biden also issued his support for gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, who is running against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“This to me is one of the most important races in the country,” Biden said. “Charlie is running against Donald Trump incarnate.”
With one week left until the midterm election, Florida Democrats hope the president can help boost base turnout and drive a message that vulnerable Democrats can amplify nationwide.
Biden has avoided appearing with some of the Democrats’ most embattled candidates, including Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. The president is set to campaign in New Mexico on Thursday, California on Friday and Pennsylvania on Saturday.
As Election Day draws near, Democrats have become increasingly worried about the trend in Miami-Dade County, home to 1.5 million Hispanics of voting age and a Democratic stronghold for the past 20 years.
The GOP made significant gains in the last presidential election, however, and some Republicans are openly predicting the region will turn red Nov. 8.
If that were to happen, it would virtually eliminate Democrats’ path to victory in statewide contests, including presidential elections, moving forward.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.