Potential second lady visits Live Oak

Published 2:09 pm Tuesday, August 30, 2016

LIVE OAK, Fla.  — On Friday, Aug. 26, Anne Holton, potential second lady of the United States, stopped by the law office of Rhett Bullard, 100 S Ohio Ave., to speak with some Live Oak Democrats.

During a phone bank to reach out to Democrats in Suwannee County, the wife of the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, thanked all those who showed up to make phone calls.

Holton, a lawyer and judge who served as the Secretary of Education for Virginia, is campaigning through Florida for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, and mentioned how important the state is for deciding the presidential election.

“As Florida goes, so goes the nation,” Holton said.

She said phone banks and grass root operations like in Live Oak make a huge difference. It’s easy for people to tune out ads, she said, but person-to-person interaction is hard to ignore.

“When your neighbor or your friend, even someone you don’t know, calls and says, ‘I’m calling to say why I think Hillary Clinton needs to be the next leader of this great nation,’ that makes all the difference in the world,” Holton said. “Our volunteers are our backbone.”

If Holton becomes the second lady, she said she will make a focus on education and women’s issues. But she said she isn’t taking anything for granted.

“That’s why Florida is important,” she said. “Every vote counts.”

Rhett Bullard said little events like the one on Friday are important to the people with their boots to the ground.

It makes the people running more than just images on TV, he said. Meeting face-to-face makes them real, which helps people know who they are fighting for.

“To most people, she’s just a face on TV,” Bullard said. “By coming out and meeting people, the more people you can inspire.”