Dozens packed the inside of Gramps in Wynwood listening and watching closely as President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden squared off in their first presidential debate Tuesday night.
“I’m so excited to see them both on stage,” said voter Daniel Folks.
“Right now, we’re definitely in a big fight to see who’s going to take over the White House and a lot of people are going to be making their minds up over these next few days, months or so,” said voter Randy Grice.
Tuesday’s watch party brought out local leaders like Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County Commissioner who's running for county mayor.
“We have an opportunity here to make sure that we leave no vote on the table,” said Cava. “We know that there are people who haven’t made up their minds so this is the time for the values to come through.”
Cava said debate performance is critical, especially on topics like the coronavirus which she weighed in on locally, suggesting that the state’s reopening plans may be moving too fast.
“This is not the time to roll back protections,” Cava said. “This is not the time to go for the lowest common denominator and benefit business. People are suffering.”
In Hialeah, Cava’s opponent Esteban Bovo spoke before the debate started.
“I think it’s going to be a lot heated,” said Bovo. “I think the president is going to make his case on why he should get re-elected and Joe Biden is going to make his case why the president should be eliminated.”
Some voters said the topics most important to them are racial justice and the coronavirus.
“The gun violence, over policing situation, defunding of police, what that looks like,” said voter Ashley Taylor.
“In my opinion, we haven’t seen much of a response,” Grice said. “So hopefully, he’ll have a plan for that not only for the remainder of this year but also 2021 and beyond.”
