The large boat parades — which began organically among MAGA devotees in South Florida and spread to Florida’s Gulf Coast, Arizona’s Lake Havasu, South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor and Southern California’s Newport Harbor during Memorial Day weekend — quickly caught the notice of the president and his campaign. Now, the campaign is encouraging the flotillas and utilizing its robust data operation to organize and excite a demographic that turns out to be heavily represented in some of the most closely-contested swing states from the Sun Belt to the Great Lakes.
Heading into the holiday weekend, the campaign reports, its biggest seller from its online store were its blue nautical flags emblazoned with the president’s last name.
“The boat parades are essentially recreating Trump rallies, but with social distancing built in,” said John Sellek, a Michigan Republican consultant, adding that the free spirit of recreational boating jibes with the president’s messaging.
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