Bill Valliere and his dog, Zoe, feel the Bern. Credit: Ivy Ceballo (Neighborhood News Bureu)

Ahead of this past Tuesday’s presidential preference primary, local politicos got a generous dose of both spectacle and speculation. No fewer than four of the seven remaining presidential candidates made stops in the area ahead of the polls opening Tuesday morning.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headlined an intimate event at the Ritz Ybor Thursday, and later that evening Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — Clinton’s rival in the Democratic primary — drew thousands to a rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

On Saturday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio made a last-ditch effort to rally voters to support him over Donald Trump.

Then came Trump himself on Monday, his second visit to the city since his campaign began. And, boy, did he have an interesting guest list in tow, including former rival Chris Christie, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and a noted Alaskan.

Here are some pictorial highlights from an exciting several days.

Bill Valliere and his dog, Zoe, feel the Bern. Credit: Ivy Ceballo (Neighborhood News Bureu)


Donald Trump addressed about 1,000 supporters Monday afternoon at the Tampa Convention Center. Credit: Nick Cardello