JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Election season is heating up like the weather in Jacksonville.
The Duval County Democratic Party opened a Biden-Harris campaign headquarters inside its former office space on Beach Boulevard Saturday afternoon.
About 100 people filled the space, grabbing signs and buttons to spread to their parts of the community.
Jacksonville City Councilman Rahman Johnson spoke at the event, saying his attendance serves as an official endorsement of the Biden-Harris campaign.
Johnson said while the office will serve as the new headquarters, most of the work organizers will be doing will be out in the community, making sure people are registered to vote.
“That’s why we are here. To put those ideals to work to be a better, deeper, truer America. This election is not about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, it’s about democracy," Johnson said.
First Coast News reached out to Duval GOP Chair Dean Black, asking if there was going to be a similar event for Donald Trump, and he said there was no need since they've had an office running since 2019.
“We’ve had an office operational. We’ve had it going for years. We never close it. We’re here to make sure Jacksonville becomes a Republican, red city," said Dean.
Duval County has 600,000 registered voters, and only about 15,000 more Democrats than Republicans. So, it's neck and neck, which means both offices will have plenty of work to do before election day.
For Florida and Georgia residents, the deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation is Oct. 7. Any voters who want a mail-in ballot must do so by Oct. 24. Election day is Nov. 5, 2024.