Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum made history last night (August 28), winning Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination and becoming the first Black nominee for governor of the key battleground state.
Gillum is running on a progressive platform which advocates for marijuana legalization, Medicare for all and fiercely opposes Stand Your Ground laws and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Tuesday, Gillum defeated seven of his contenders, winning 34 percent of the vote. Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham, the front runner, had 31 percent, as reported by The New York Times.
The 39-year-old mayor, who grew up in a working-class family, ran as the only "non-millionaire" candidate, as he professed in his campaign and the Tampa Bay Times reported. In the final stretch, Gillum upset Florida’s Democratic political establishment by gaining support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and funding from Collective PAC (a group supporting Black progressive candidates) and billionaires Tom Steyer and George Soros.
“The same part of this country that was built by people of color may soon be led by people of color,” Gillum said in a recent interview with The Washington Post. “That, in the shadow of Donald Trump in Washington, would be poetic justice in this country.”
In November, Gillum will square off with the Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Ron Desantis (R-FL), a candidate who has gained the support of President Donald Trump.
Watch Andrew Gillum’s victory speech following the Florida primaries, below:
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"This race is about every single last one of us, right? Those of us in this room…those who could not vote for me because they may be Republicans. But, you want to know something? I want to be their governor too." Andrew Gillum gives victory speech following upset win. #FLGov pic.twitter.com/YM7DuwiEc0
rnt— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 29, 2018
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