Tim Kaine to hold rally in Alachua County this weekend

Update: Tim Kaine will be speaking at the Reitz Union on UF's campus at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine will hold a campaign rally in Alachua County on Sunday afternoon.

As of press time, event details, including the exact time and location, have not yet been determined, according to hillaryclinton.com, the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign website. Those interested in attending the rally can RSVP on the website.

Jake Best, the president of Gators 4 Hillary, said he expects the Virginia senator to encourage residents to vote, a convenient topic because early voting in Florida begins Monday.

“I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that he’s coming Sunday, a day before early voting,” Best said.

Best said he saw the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon after leaving his French class. He then texted Mahen Gunaratna, Florida’s Hillary for America communications director, to confirm the rally would happen.

“I was very excited,” the 19-year-old UF journalism sophomore said. “I was hoping that we’d get someone to come to Gainesville for a rally.”

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla., will also be in Gainesville as she hosts a volunteer training session at Gainesville Police headquarters, located at 545 NW Eighth Ave., according to Clinton’s website.

Andrea Miranda, the secretary of UF College Democrats, said she’ll be shortening a trip to her family’s home in Orlando to see Kaine speak. The UF political science senior said she hopes to bring her 16-year-old sister with her.

Miranda said she wants to learn more about Kaine as a person, noting that since Clinton named him as her vice presidential pick, it was revealed that Kaine speaks Spanish and plays harmonica.

“I just want to hear more about him,” she said.