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PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – Byron Donalds revealed his closing message to voters less than four weeks before votes are counted.<\/p>\n
He campaigned in Pinellas County on Thursday, even choking up during his speech.<\/p>\n
“What I didn’t realize, is that 30 years later, I would’ve built a great dream,” he said, holding back tears. “Oof, I got a little choked up on that one.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said after that he was reflecting on a long journey from having just a trunk full of clothes to being a month away from potentially being elected governor.<\/p>\n
Republican candidate makes campaign stop <\/p>\n
Dig deeper:<\/p>\n
A poll released Thursday showed him up 48% to 41%.<\/p>\n
But a poll released Friday showed him tied with Democrat David Jolly 45%-45% with 7% undecided.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The polls show things at different points in time,” said Donalds. “It’s really about your work. We’ve knocked a million doors in our campaign to be Florida’s next governor, a million.”<\/p>\n
The speech and press conference took place during a rally at a metal factory in Largo. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was joined by Sen. Rick Scott, who has won several close races for both governor and senate.<\/p>\n
Voter registration advantage\u00a0 <\/p>\n
What they’re saying:<\/p>\n
Scott said the most important aspect of the campaign could turn out to be the 1.5 million voter registration advantage Republicans now have over Democrats.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott acknowledged the challenge for Republicans is the difficult economy and the costs Americans and Floridians are facing. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He says Donalds’ message is clear.<\/p>\n
“He’s talking (about) getting the jobs growing again,” said Scott. “We don’t have a great job market in Florida right now, the unemployment rate is up. He’s just talking about that, he clearly cares about education, clearly has great relationships with the sheriffs, so public safety, that’s what people care about.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking forward\u00a0 <\/p>\n
What’s next:<\/p>\n
Donalds also has a formidable financial edge, more than 8 to 1 over Jolly, which could make it much easier to get his message out on TV.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Most political consultants are only concerned about getting the candidate to 50% plus one,” he said. “Because 50% plus one is all you need to win the seat. But I’m not interested in 50% plus one. I’m interested in 100% because my job is to govern the State of Florida.”<\/p>\n
Jolly campaigned on Thursday in Miami Gardens.<\/p>\n
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a campaign speech and press conference delivered by Rep. Byron Donalds in Largo, statements from Sen. Rick Scott, campaign information from David Jolly, and public polling data.\u00a0<\/p>\n