Biden in Tampa on Wednesday

Democratic running mate Sen. Joe Biden will be in Tampa on Wednesday to talk about the economy, an issue that has given Barack Obama an edge of late over John McCain. Biden will host a gathering at the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida, East Fowler Avenue and USF Bull Run Drive. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. (ticket detail below)

Will the black vote lift Obama above?

JACKSONVILLE — It was Tony Hill's job to fire up the crowd of 12,000 waiting for Barack Obama and he ended in a fury. "Hold up your hands. Hold up your hands. Hold up your hands," he shouted last month. "This election is in your hands."

The message from Hill, a black state senator from Jacksonville, was more than cheerleading: The sea of people was largely African-American and the outcome of the presidential election in Florida could literally rest in their hands.

Four years ago, nearly 500,000 registered black voters stayed home, a significant figure considering that President George W. Bush beat John Kerry by 381,000 votes. There were 1.2-million black voters overall in Florida.

What's more, hundreds of thousands of African-Americans were not registered to vote, even though they were eligible. Today, that number stands at 600,000. (story here)

NYT heads to Pasco County to check out race

New York Times says the economy is helping Obama in places like Pasco County. Looks like they even hung out with Pasco Republican chair Bill Bunting a bit. Check it out here.