Hillary Clinton visits Jacksonville for private fundraiser

Clinton arrives Wednesday to private neighborhood in San Pablo area

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hillary Clinton spent a couple hours in Jacksonville Wednesday night. The Democratic presidential front-runner was in the area for a private fundraiser.

Clinton arrived around 6 p.m. Wednesday to a private home in the San Pablo area for a fundraiser. This was one of at least four stops in Florida. She canvassed the state, winding up in Miami Wednesday night. This comes as Clinton is showing to poll just above her most likely Republican competitors if she does in fact win the Democratic nomination for president.

Recommended Videos



A new Quinnipiac poll shows her closest competitor is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, behind her by one point, 45-44, while she’s ahead of Donald Trump 47-41.

News4Jax political analyst Jennifer Carroll says Clinton is making a misstep by holding a private event, instead of a public one. She says Florida is a key state due to its demographics and large population.

"I think it's a mistake for her to just meet with large donors because you have a large segment of the population that will support her," Carroll says. "It is common among presidential candidates, but it is surprising because it’s been a while since Hillary Clinton has been in northeast Florida, and seeing that northeast Florida is important to winning Florida (it's surprising) that she didn’t take some time to meet with the local folks."

Carroll says Clinton needs to appeal on a personal and compassionate level in order to win. She says the fact that Clinton is a woman makes her attractive to many voters. However, Carroll says not everybody is on board with that just yet.

"She also has a negative of being a woman because in the South you still have a low stigma with some people that don't really embrace a woman being at the helm of this country," Carroll said.

Clinton was expected to also make a stop in Orlando Wednesday. She's the third presidential candidate to make a stop in Jacksonville in recent weeks, following Trump and Jeb Bush.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.