Harris campaign gets Tallahassee women amped up and involved in canvassing

A crowd of around 300 people, mostly older white women, responded to a call to organize in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign on Sunday in Tallahassee.

The campaign wasted no time trying to get the attendees of the women’s organizing event at The Moon, a nightlife venue in Tallahassee, to sign up to make calls and canvass in favor of Harris and other Florida candidates up and down the ballot. The event included training on apps and other software the campaign uses to call and engage with voters.

Some of those events, such as a planned “cat ladies for Kamala” phone bank (which mocks J.D. Vance’s reference to Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies”) are aimed at pumping up women, who account for 68% of the more than 17,000 new Florida volunteers since Harris announced her candidacy, said Jossie Barroso Garcia, the campaign’s North Florida regional press secretary.

The event stressed protecting reproductive rights, with a table where people could sign up to support the abortion-rights amendment that will be on the ballot this year. There also were sign-up sheets in support of the recreational marijuana amendment and the effort to expand Medicaid in 2026.

“We’re working closely with our local Democratic parties to make sure that we have these volunteer shifts. We’re keeping up that momentum with all these folks who have signed up,” said Melanie Williams, the Harris campaign’s Black vote director in Florida. “We need people like you to help us reach out to all these folks and get them in for a shift and get them engaged to carry us through to November.”

Democrats face an uphill battle as the GOP managed to increase its advantage over Democrats to more than 1 million registered voters, as first reported by WUFT.

‘Men don’ relinquish power’

Most of the attendees were white women, but cheers erupted when Democratic State Sen. Rosalind Osgood of Broward County talked about Harris’ potential to become the first Black and Asian woman president.

“Men don’t relinquish power, especially white men, to a Black woman. I just keep it real, y’all. But we know that Joe Biden cares about the future of our country, and now we have an opportunity to really make freedom reign,” Osgood said.

Tallahassee Democratic state Rep. Allison Tant made a plea to the crowd as she campaigns to retain her seat in the Florida House.

“The enthusiasm for this November election is palpable. You’re in this room on a Sunday afternoon, and you could be anywhere today, and you’re here for the training that’s to come,” Tant said. “I am one of the down-ballot races that are going to be impacted this November, and I am going to need your help.”

Tant is one of two Democrats from the Panhandle in the House, and she will face off against political newcomer Republican Spencer Brass.

“I do have an opponent, and my opponent is backed by the Republican machine,” she said. “They put $100,000 in television ads already. They’re going to do some negative mail, and they’re going to keep going throughout the November election. So, I am canvassing today after this event.”

Gena Buonamici, a 59-year-old who has lived in Tallahassee for three decades, said she was ready to volunteer at the events announced on Sunday.

“I didn’t really have any expectations. I will tell you though, this is a whole heck of a lot more people than I expected,” she told the Florida Phoenix after the event was over.

Another attendee, Charlotte Keaton, 53, noticed the absence of young people at the event, which is why she said she was glad she brought her 19-year-old daughter.

“That has been a group that I’ve been especially concerned about because people just either have not been paying attention or I think especially they were just very disenchanted with Biden,” Keaton said.