Opinion: Al Gore will make a symbolic return to Florida to campaign for Barack Obama

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If John McCain loses Florida, his chances of winning the presidency are very slim. Any political junkie with an electoral college map will tell you the same.

So the Republican nominee has made an extra push there. On Wednesday, he criss-crossed the state, making a special plea to Latino voters. And today, the campaign released a television commercial featuring Florida Gov. Charlie Christ’s endorsement. (You can watch it at the end of the post.)

But the Obama campaign has been rallying just as hard.

Obama is campaigning in the towns of Sunrise and Kissimmee today. Last week, he held events in Tampa, Miami and Orlando (where he was joined by Sen. Hillary Rodam Clinton). And last night, Obama was joined by former President Bill Clinton at a late-night rally in Orlando. It was the first time the two have campaigned together.

Today the campaign announced that another veteran of the Clinton White House will do some heavy lifting for Obama in Florida Friday.

Former Vice President Al Gore will campaign at rallies in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to encourage people to vote early, according to Obama’s Florida campaign director Steve Schale.

It will be a symbolic trip for Gore, whose own quest for the presidency in 2000 ended in Florida.

Schale alluded to the 2000 recount debacle in his news release to the media.

‘Nobody knows better that every single vote counts –- especially in Florida –- than Vice President Al Gore, who will be encouraging Florida voters to Early Vote in record numbers so no amount of chads, butterflies or undervotes can stand between Floridians and the change we need.”

-- Kate Linthicum