Al Gore Comes To Florida With A Warning For Undecideds: ‘Every Vote Counts!’

At a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Miami, Florida, Al Gore reminded millennial voters that “every vote counts,” a slogan that applied to his 2000 campaign in the state, which he used as a cautionary tale to those considering sitting the election out.

“You will often hear people from podiums like this one say something like that at election time. I know. I’ve heard it. I’ve even said it before,” Gore said Tuesday. “But honestly, to those of you here and those who can hear my voice by whatever means, this election really matters.”

“The world is on the cusp of either building on the progress and solving the climate crisis or stepping back, washing our hands of America’s traditional role as the leader of the world, and letting the big polluters call the shots,” Gore warned. “The choice is that clear. It’s that stark. The consequences for not just our children and grandchildren and future generations but for all of us, are really quite significant.”

“So because of that, please take it from me. Every single vote counts,” he said to cheers.

Gore lost the state of Florida by 543 votes in 2000, largely due to a contentious recount process that centered on so-called “hanging chads,” which made the intentions of the voters who punched them out of ballots unclear.

Gore at the time also blamed the Monica Lewinsky scandal and subsequent impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton for denting Democratic enthusiasm in 2000. Gore did not endorse Hillary Clinton during the Democratic presidential primary, though he did announce he would support her candidacy once Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) dropped out of the race.

“Together we have the opportunity to look back on this year as a time when our nation finally chose to answer the alarm bells on the climate crisis, and went into action to solve it,” Gore said. “I’ll remind you that the will to change and build a brighter future is, itself, a renewable resource.”