With Labor Day behind them, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are pushing ahead in top presidential battlegrounds in the South.

  • Hillary Clinton campaign releases new book
  • 'We'll fix it together,' she tells students
  • Clinton attacks Trump on climate change, economy

Democratic presidential nominee Clinton spoke Tuesday in Tampa at the University of South Florida.

The rally at the USF Student Recreation Center came the same day Clinton released a new campaign book "Strong Together" with running mate Tim Kaine.

Clinton said the book is "more than a slogan for the campaign - this is a blueprint for America’s future."

“I want to be a president for those who vote for me and those who vote against me, because I want to bring our country together," Clinton said. "I’m very proud that Tim Kaine and I are running a campaign of issues, not insults.”

Speaking to an audience full of students, Clinton said she would lift the burden of college debt.

“We’re going to help you pay it back and pay it off - quickly,” Clinton said. "We're going to get the interest rates down and we’re going to give you new ways of paying it.”

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She also took on Donald Trump's stance that he alone can fix America.

"Americans don’t say I alone can fix it," she said. "We say, we’ll fix it together."

Knowing how important Florida is to her push for the White House, this is Clinton's fourth visit to the Sunshine State this year. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will campaign for her Wednesday in Orlando.

Trump, the Republican nominee, was set to campaign in Virginia and North Carolina on Tuesday, two critical states in his path to the presidency.

Trump released an open letter early Tuesday from 88 retired generals and admirals citing an urgent need for a "course correction" on America's national security policy.

"We believe that such a change can only be made by someone who has not been deeply involved with, and substantially responsible for, the hollowing out of our military and the burgeoning threats facing our country around the world," the military leaders wrote. "For this reason, we support Donald Trump's candidacy to be our next commander-in-chief."

The day before in swing state Ohio, Trump softened his stance on immigration while Clinton blasted Russia for suspected tampering in the U.S. electoral process.

In a rare news conference aboard her new campaign plane, Clinton said she is concerned about "credible reports about Russian government interference in our elections."

"We are going to have to take those threats and attacks seriously," Clinton told reporters traveling with her from Ohio to Illinois.

The map below shows how many times Trump (red) and Hillary Clinton (blue) have visited the I-4 corridor so far this election season.

Presidential candidates' I-4 Corridor travels

 

While Labor Day has traditionally been the kickoff to the fall campaign, both Clinton and Trump have been locked in an intense back-and-forth throughout the summer.

The start of full-fledged campaigning opens a pivotal month, culminating in the first presidential debate Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Polls show Trump trailing Clinton in a series of must-win battleground states, meaning the debates could be his best chance at reorienting the race.

Trump told reporters he does plan to take part in all three presidential debates, joking that only a "hurricane" or "natural disaster" would prevent him from attending.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.