A crowd of about 1,000 filled the university quadrangle to
hear Bill Clinton, who served as commander-in-chief from 1993 to 2001, to urge the
students to help unseat incumbent Steve Southerland, R-Panama Beach.
“In the next nine days everyone here is going to pass a
hundred people . . . that you actually know and probably will not vote unless
you stop them look them in the eye and ask them too,” Clinton said.
FAMU alumni Andrew Gillum, the mayor-elect of Tallahassee, and state Rep. Alan Williams addressed the audience prior to Clinton’s appearance. Williams reminded the young Rattlers of how the outcome of the 2014 election will affect their daily lives.
“I met a lot of student leaders who want a U.S. Congressman
and Governor who will help relieve the burden of student loans. I spokes with
dozens of working Floridians who want a U.S. Congressman and Governor who will fight
for a higher minimum wage,” Williams said in a quote published by the Saint PetersBlog. “The work we do between now and Nov.
4 will decide the future of North Florida.”
After the rally, five buses shuttled registered voters from
The Quad to an on-campus early voting site.