STATE IN PLAY: Latest poll numbers show that Vice President Kamala Harris has reduced the gap between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates among Florida voters. PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMALAHARRIS.COM/

Miami – Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for the presidency has gained momentum as more than 7,000 Floridians have signed up to help with her campaign.

Jasmine Burney-Clark, Florida director for Kamala Harris campaign, announced 7,200 people throughout North, Central and South Florida have volunteered to help the former California senator beat former president Donald Trump in the Nov. general election.

Burney-Clark said the new volunteers registered with Harris’ Florida campaign a week before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the numbers may increase after.

This after Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president along with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

"Florida is showing an overwhelming groundswell of support," Burney-Clark said in a statement. "It potentially signals untapped enthusiasm among Democrats in Florida as the state’s voter rolls and election results have grown increasingly red in recent years."

Burney-Clark said Harris’ campaign had recruited about 5,700 volunteers in Pennsylvania, 4,300 in Georgina and 3,300 in Michigan, which are the three most populous states most likely to decide the Nov. election.

Republicans have the most registered voters in Florida with 5,324,654 as of July 31, 2024, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

Democrats have 4,327,859 registered voters and 3.5 million have no party affiliation.

During the convention, Harris picked up support from Republicans including Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Ana Navarro, a Nicaraguan American political strategist and commentator who has been a vocal critic of Trump.

Kinzinger voted to impeach Trump for "incitement of an insurrection" after the Jan. 6, 2001 attacks on the U.S. Capitol and wrote that the former president had turned the GOP into a "cult of personality."

Kinzinger and Navarro both spoke at the convention, offering words that effectively served as speeches of hope for a better America with Harris running the nation.

Harris also received another GOP endorsement from former Virginia Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock.

This month, the Harris for President campaign announced the "Republicans for Harris" program, to further outreach efforts to the millions of Republican voters who continued to reject “the chaos, division, and violence of Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda."

Kinzinger was among dozens of names on the list, which also includes former U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and former GOP state chair and state Sen. Chris Vance of Washington.

Democrats appeared at the convention to rally behind the Harris-Walz ticket during a star-studded event whose featured speakers included former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former First Ladies Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Michelle Obama delivered a powerful speech urging action and support for Harris.

She underscored the significance of hope and unity, drawing "a stark contrast between the vice president and Trump."

Barack Obama also delivered a powerful speech, praising Harris for highlighting her dedication and work ethic.

He emphasized the need for a new chapter in American leadership, expressing confidence in "Harris’s ability to lead the nation."

Barack Obama also criticized Trump, who he said "sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends."

During her acceptance speech, Harris called for unity.

“I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power,” said Harris.

The vice president assured that under her presidency, Americans won’t be stripped of their civil liberties and freedoms as Project 2025 seeks to achieve.

“With this election, we finally have the election to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom To Vote Act,” she said about Republicans preventing the act from being moved for many years and now languishing in Congress.

After the Democratic National Convention, Trump sharpened his attacks on Harris, questioning her rise to become the Democratic presidential nominee after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her.

He said Harris didn’t receive a single primary vote this election cycle or when she ran for president in 2020 and dropped out of the race.

"Now she’s a presidential candidate?" Trump asked on social media. "This is a Threat to Democracy!" According to Florida Atlantic University polls, Trump has a narrow lead over Harris among Florida voters.

Fifty percent of Floridians support Trump while 47 percent back Harris.

The latest poll numbers show that Harris has reduced the gap between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates among voters in Florida from an 8 percent deficit to just 3 percent.

A similar poll in April found that Biden trailed Trump by 8 percent among likely Florida voters before he dropped out of the race.

However, Harris’ lead nationwide has widened as of Aug. 20, according to a New York Times poll.

Harris has 49 percent and Trump 46 percent in a national average survey including Harris leading in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

Trump leads Harris in Georgia with 50 percent to her 46 percent.