And just like that, Florida is back in play. Or at least that’s the vibe coming from the Harris-Walz campaign and state Democrats. The crowd inside Sunshine Cathedral on Aug. 31 was energized.

Several hundred attendees gathered for the launch of Out For Harris in Florida. LGBTQ candidates from across the state mingled before taking the stage to urge everyone to get ten friends to vote.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz fired up the crowd.

“We’re going to put Florida back in the blue column,” she said. “Tell your friends not to sleep on Florida because we are sneaking up.”

Some polls have shown Harris closing the gap in the Sunshine State. According to one polling average, Trump leads by 6 points. That’s still a significant margin, but it's tantalizingly close compared to DeSantis, who won re-election by nearly 20 points in 2022.

The keynote speaker was actor BD Wong, a top celebrity surrogate for the campaign.

“Good afternoon, homos,” he said to laughter and applause. “I’m so excited to be here and a little nervous. But I heard a rumor that here in Fort Lauderdale, ‘We Say Gay!’”

“Halfway through my career to date, I learned the value of your own visibility and using that visibility,” he added.

The out icon emphasized his commitment to the campaign. “I have pledged my services to the campaign. I told them to send me wherever they want to send me.”

The crowd loved every moment of it.

Wong spoke with OutSFL before the event and said he’s fired up for this campaign because he’s still “traumatized” by the 2016 election.

“It’s become more and more intense as every election has gone by. The 2020 election was virtual. I was watching the returns virtually in London while working on Jurassic World.”

The crowd left energized. An hour later, you could spot the same people sporting their Harris-Walz merchandise up and down Wilton Drive, hoping to spread the energy.