TAMPA, Fla. — Registered Florida Democratic voters began receiving vote-by mail ballots this weekend, and with the race for their presidential nominee still very much in the air, the March 17 primary date in the Sunshine State has suddenly become much more relevant than what seemed to be the case just a month ago.

That’s what made the candidate forum sponsored by the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee on Saturday night in Tampa such an engaging and occasionally tension-filled affair.

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While the candidates themselves were in Nevada this weekend, surrogates for Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, and Michael Bloomberg (a surrogate for Amy Klobuchar did not show up) all made their case to fellow Democrats at a two-hour forum that took place at the West Tampa Main Library in front of about 100 people.

The evening began with the surrogates making the case on why their chosen candidate had the best chance to defeat Trump in November before taking questions from the audience.

“We know Trump won the election because he took Pennsylvania,” said Biden surrogate Chris Hill, a former U.S. Ambassador and State Department official who has served under six U.S. presidents in his career, including Barack Obama. “Well, Joe Biden can take Pennsylvania back. “

Hill, who now lives half of the year in Pinellas County, kicked off the debate by stressing that all of the Democrats running would be a better president than Donald Trump.

Former US Ambassador ⁦@ambchrishill⁩ lmaking the case for ⁦@JoeBiden⁩ at Hillsborough County Democratic “campaign forum” with surrogates for Dem presidential at West #Tampa Library #FlaPol pic.twitter.com/rYIEXEbVa3 — Mitch Perry (@MitchPerry18) February 15, 2020

Caanan McCaslin, a Tampa Bay area native who just spent the past four months working for Pete Buttigieg in Iowa as a regional organizing director, noted how Buttigieg won 21 of the 31 counties in Iowa that voted first for Barack Obama and then for Donald Trump. McCaslin said that the man known as “Mayor Pete” can win because he inspires people.

“You win by giving people a hopeful message," McCaslin explained. "Giving them something to believe and want to vote for. You don’t win by fighting. You don’t win by being divisive. You don’t win by yelling. And that is not what we do as a campaign.”

Bernie Sanders surrogate Coleman Pratt said a factor that needed to be understood is that dozens of polls show that “Bernie beats Trump” and said that there are a number of Trump supporters who are willing to switch to Bernie in 2020.

“They thought that would do something to ease their misery and improve their plight,” Pratt said of those Trump voters. “Well, these people realize now that they were sold a bill of goods. There’s one Democrat who comes to their lips and it’s Bernie Sanders.”

Activist Andrea Hildebran Smith, an enthusiastic supporter of Elizabeth Warren, talked up the Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator’s skills in helping to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the Obama administration and referred to lesser known proposals such as the “Blue New Deal” to save the oceans.

“She’s the candidate of big structural change. She has big plans that I’m really proud to talk about with all of you,” Smith said.

Justin Odhiambo, a field organizer for Michael Bloomberg’s campaign in Florida, touted the former New York City Mayor’s plans to combat climate change and convert the U.S. to a green energy future.

“It is a crisis and it is time that we act on it,” he said. “We’re really focusing on transitioning our American infrastructure to 100 percent renewable clean energy.”

Talking unity amidst tensions

Party unity was a theme that several of the surrogates also mentioned during the course of the evening, as Democrats nationally have articulated how they can’t afford to have a divided party going up against the president in 2020, as was the case in 2016 following the primary race between Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Tensions emerged towards the end of the event, however, when Kate Hodges, a volunteer with the Buttigieg campaign in Florida, asked Pratt if the Sanders campaign had something similar to Buttigieg’s “rules for the road” platform, a campaign document that stresses that those involved in his campaign cultivate a sense of respect.

“Because I’ve seen some things in here tonight that give me great concern,” Hodges said, alluding to disparaging comments that she said she heard Sanders supporters in the audiences make about some of the other candidates at the forum. “Does Bernie have a similar protocol in writing that requires those in his campaign and supporters to be respectful and truthful?”

Pratt said that yes, Sanders had taken a “clear and unequivocal position on civility in politics,” but added that he completely rejected Hodges contention that the Vermont Senator’s supporters were poorly behaved, setting off a large cheer from the Sanders contingent in the room.

“I do believe that when you are threatening the status quo there are many people interested in demeaning your message,” Pratt said, before quoting from a story published last week that he said dismissed the concept of obnoxious “Bernie Bros” supporters “as a myth.”

“I don’t for one moment believe that Bernie supporters are any less civil than Pete’s,” Pratt added, eliciting further cheers and applause.

After the meeting, Hodges said she didn’t feel that Pratt’s response equating Bernie supporters with Buttigieg’s was adequate. “He said that they’re the same, but the evidence in the room showed otherwise.”

A few moments after that exchange, a Sanders supporter then asked McCaslin what it said that Buttigieg has been receiving campaign contributions from billionaires (a line of attack that Sanders himself has labeled at Buttigieg recently).

“I honestly can’t answer for the billionaires. I don’t speak to them, I don’t know them,” McCaslin responded.

At Hillsborough Democratic ‘campaign forum’ in #Tampa, activist Mike Fox asks surrogates if any are being paid to attend. Only one who says he’s a full time paid staffer is Bloomberg field organizer Justin Odhiambo pic.twitter.com/zMlDAC0ILG — Mitch Perry (@MitchPerry18) February 16, 2020

Blue no matter what?

Towards the end of the evening, one Democrat took to the mic and asked all of the people the room who agreed to support whomever won the nomination to stand up. Most did, but there were a handful who did not.

A few moments later, Hillsborough County Democratic Party Chair Ione Townsend responded.

“To those of you who did not stand up when he asked that question, I would ask you to examine your heart and re-examine your response to that question,” she said.

If you haven’t registered to vote for the March 17 primary, time is running out. The deadline is this Tuesday, February 18.