The stretch between Tampa to Daytona Beach is known as the I-4 corridor. The corridor runs through seven counties where the votes are crucial in determining the next president of the United States.
News 6 spoke with University of Central Florida political expert Jim Clark, who talks about this key area and what it means in the 2016 presidential election on Nov. 8.
News 6: What is the history of the I-4 corridor?
Clark: I-4 comes through in the mid-1960s and becomes a vital link in Florida transportation. Then you have all kinds of things being added: Walt Disney World, other attractions, booming Tampa. All of these things suddenly make this area explode. Thirty years ago, the cows outnumbered the people in Osceola County and whoever though Osceola County would be a booming, thriving county like it is. No area of Florida has undergone the dramatic change over the last half-century than the I-4 corridor has.
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News 6: What are the seven counties in the I-4 corridor?
Clark: Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Hillsborough and Pinellas.
News 6: What should people know about the I-4 corridor and the 2016 election with presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?
Clark: I-4 will decide this election. You can almost say, 'As Kissimmee goes, so goes the nation.' There are 67 Florida counties. Right now, today, I can tell you how 59 or 60 of them are going to vote because they always vote that way. The Democrats will take Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Monroe and some counties around Tallahassee. And the Republicans will take the rest. Now, the ones in play are the seven counties that touch I-4. These counties traditionally go back and forth because of the nature of them. They are different from the other counties. For example, union workers, you have a significant number of union workers along the I-4 corridor because of the attractions and because of some of the union jobs in Tampa. You don't have that in most areas of Florida so, they tend to vote Democratic. You have a huge influx of Puerto Rican voters in Orange and Osceola counties, the four corners area. So there a wild card (voter), who knows how they will vote. The seven counties are unpredictable. You can't make any bets on them.
News 6: How many times have both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump visited this area? Why is it important for their campaigns to visit these areas?
Clark: The campaign managers know how important these counties are. They know they are the swing counties and that's why they are here. They also know that there is money here and not only have they come for votes, but they come here to raise money. It's no secret that there are 55 counties that neither candidate will ever visit. And yet, they are coming here (I-4 corridor) five, six and seven times.
News 6: Potential candidates before they get the nomination focus on Florida. Why?
Clark: The 1876 election is decided by Florida, so that early in our history we are playing a role. Not since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 has a Republican won the White House without carrying Florida. Donald Trump has to win Florida if he has any chance of becoming president of the United States and he knows that.
News 6: Does Hillary Clinton have to win Florida to become the next president of the United States?
Clark: No. She has a number of ways to win. If she can take Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin. It didn't used to be this way, but the Democrats start with an electoral advantage. They have New York,that's a lock. California, that's a lock. Right away before the polls even open the Democrats have about 200 electoral votes. They only need 70 more to win. The Republicans only start with about 150 electoral votes, guaranteed. They need 120 to win. It's a real advantage for the Democrats, but Donald Trump knows he has to take Florida.
News 6: Can you explain the Electoral College?
Clark: The founders really didn't trust the voters of our country. The idea was not that the voters would elect a president. In fact, in some of the early elections, people in some states didn't even vote. The states didn't even record the votes. It was the electors. The idea was the candidates would be put forward and then these electors who were seen as the leaders in the state would actually decide the president. That has changed over the years, but basically the law is the same. You have to get 270 electoral votes. Every state starts with three electoral votes and then you get one for every House member. Up until World War II, Florida was the least populated state in the South. So, people didn't pay that much attention to it because it almost always voted Democratic and it was so small that nobody cared about it. Since World War II, that state has boomed and we have 29 electoral votes-- fourth in the nation for electoral votes. We are vitally important and we are unpredictable, unlike New York or California where everybody knows which way they are going. Mississippi is going for the Republicans. Alabama is going for the Republicans.
News 6: With less than 50 days until the election, why should voters be voting in this election?
Clark: I think that this will be an every-votes-counts kind of thing. We saw this in the primary a few weeks ago, where there were so many close races. People don't think their votes count, but in an election like this, who knows. In the 2000, election with Al Gore and George W. Bush, it was a few hundred votes. Literally, if four people in each county (in Florida) had gone to the polls and voted for Al Gore, he would have become president of the United States. If you think about that, four people in Orange County could have changed the course of history.
News 6: Can you tell me about the strategic placement of campaign ads on television and online in the I-4 corridor?
Clark: They are pouring huge resources into Florida to try to carry it. I think the key though is going to be turnout. This is going to be interesting. The polls have gone back and forth but as people have said, 'You have six months to get your supporters registered, but you only have about 10 hours to get them to vote.' It is going to be who can get their voters to the polls. It's going to be interesting to see who has the phone banks, who is going to be calling you on Election Day to ask 'have you voted? Do you need a ride to the polls? And anything they can do to help you?' That's going to be a real key.