As Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gets ready to take stage Thursday night, supporters gathered in Orlando on Wednesday to show support for Clinton and their party.
About 60 people attended a watch party at the District Council 78 on Oak Ridge Road in Orlando to support Clinton and to hear what President Barack Obama had to say at the DNC.
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The audience was a diverse mix of voters who often cheered at the screen following a speech from those at the convention’s podium.
Some said they want to make sure everyone gets out to vote and why Florida is so important — especially after the "hanging chads" scandal of the 2000 election year.
“It was really my first election really getting involved in, and we lost Florida. We lost Florida by 537 votes. So it’s important for me to get involved in this election and make sure Florida goes blue,” said Alex Hancock, who attended the Clinton watch party.
Although Clinton isn’t speaking until Thursday, many felt it was important to come out and show their support early.
“The great thing about this is you’re seeing everybody come: the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the famous, the not-so-famous, to make sure we succeed,” Patricia Carter said.
Several mothers attended the event, part of a grass-roots effort called “Moms Demand Action,” which supports strict gun-control legislation.
One of the main issues supporters want Clinton to talk about is gun control — especially in the wake of the shooting at Pulse nightclub.
Volunteers for the Clinton campaign say they plan to have more watch parties in the future as the November election approaches.