Hillary Clinton Opening Tampa Office Thursday

Tampa, FL — Tampa Bay area Hillary Clinton supporters will have a new place to rally for their presidential pick starting Thursday.

The Clinton campaign announced the presumptive Democratic nominee intends to open her Tampa office on Thursday. The 2209 E. 7th Ave. office officially opens its doors at 6:45 p.m. Clinton’s campaign office in Tallahassee is also scheduled to open Thursday. The candidate is not scheduled to attend either opening.

“In Tampa, State Representative Janet Cruz and State Senate Minority Leader Arthenia L. Joyner will join grassroots supporters, volunteers, and community members as they spread Hillary Clinton's commitment to building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top,” an email from the Clinton campaign said.

See Also:

• Honesty Issue Hurts Hillary Clinton's Swing State Lead Over Donald Trump: Pollsters

Clinton trails presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the latest poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday. The swing state poll gave Trump a 42 to 39 percent lead over Clinton in the Sunshine State. Trump also took the lead over Clinton in Pennsylvania, but tied her in the third swing state of Ohio.

As Trump prepares to head to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18, he does so “on a small roll in the three most important swing states in the country,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. That “small roll” in Florida is somewhat bigger, Brown noted. In the Sunshine State, “he has wiped out Hillary Clinton’s lead.”

"While there is no definite link between Clinton's drop in Florida and the U.S. Justice Department decision not to prosecute her for her handling of emails, she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty,” Brown explained.

Voters view Clinton as more intelligent and better prepared to be president, Brown said. Even so, they see Trump as having “higher moral standards” and say he is more honest and trustworthy.

In Florida specifically, voters aren’t particularly keen on either candidate. Clinton’s favorability ratings were 35 percent positive and 59 percent negative, while Trump’s came in at 38-54 percent.

Once open, the new campaign office in Tampa will serve as a place “where grassroots organizers and volunteers will work to elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the ballot,” the campaign’s email said.

[Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons]