Gillum wins Florida governor primary in upset victory for the left

[dukkha]

he Tallahassee mayor will be the Democratic nominee in one of 2018’s most important governor’s races.



Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum prevailed in the hotly contested Democratic primary election for Florida governor, giving the left another marquee win in the 2018 midterms. Bernie Sanders at left
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Gillum is the first black Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida history. He won out over Gwen Graham, a former member of Congress, the daughter of a former governor and senator, and the presumed Democratic frontrunner; former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine; and businessman Jeff Greene. He will face Republican Ron DeSantis in November’s general election, a race that election forecasters have rated a toss-up.

The state capital’s mayor since 2014, Gillum is young at 39, black (he would also be Florida’s first black governor), and pretty far to the left ideologically. He received the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Our Revolution, and Democracy for America in the primary. He has proposed hiking the state’s corporate tax rate to fund education, raising its minimum wage to $15, and he endorsed a Medicare-for-all single-payer health care system at the national level.



Gillum also supports expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, which Florida has thus far refused to do, leaving hundreds of thousands of its poorest residents without coverage. He has also joined with other progressive leaders who want to abolish the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency after the family separations crisis.

There is also, however, an ongoing FBI investigation into corruption in the Tallahassee city government — though Gillum has not been implicated in any way, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
LIVE ELECTION RESULTS

DeSantis, currently a member of the US House, has done everything he can to embrace Donald Trump, complete with a campaign ad in which he builds a wall with his daughter and puts his young son in a Make America Great Again onesie.

Gillum had led in no independent polls before Tuesday’s primary, so his win is a genuine surprise. But political operatives in the state had picked up a sense of momentum for his campaign, and the last St. Pete Polls survey before the election found him trailing Graham by just 7 points.

State politicos thought Gillum benefited from being the odd man out in what was at times a fierce battle between Graham and Greene in particular. Graham, who served one term in the US House and had the endorsement of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), had led in almost every public poll.

“Gillum is definitely rising,” Steve Schale, a Democratic operative in the state, told me before the primary. “When you have four people in the race, typically the one who is rising at the end is the one not being attacked.”

Progressives have made inroads in Democratic primaries, but they’ve also lost plenty of races like the Florida governor’s race where there was an establishment alternative. Gillum stands out as the of the left’s biggest wins in 2018. Now he’s on to the general election.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...illum-governor

[Nomad]

Well, he wasn't my choice and he's probably a bit too far left and progressive for my tastes, but I'll certainly vote for him come November.

One of the nice perks if he wins, would be the knowledge of just how badly it would stick in Trump's craw that a black man beat his hand picked and endorsed candidate. Same with the Republicans in the Florida Legislature, and of course, Rick Scott who would have to greet him and hand him the keys to the Governor's mansion while pretending not to be seething with inner rage.

That in itself is reason enough for me to support him.

[Life is Golden]

So glad the Soros/Sanders candidate won! A far left loon. Those don't do well in general elections. I was afraid Gwen Graham could win but not this one.

Libs always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[TOP]

Well, he wasn't my choice and he's probably a bit too far left and progressive for my tastes, but I'll certainly vote for him come November.

One of the nice perks if he wins, would be the knowledge of just how badly it would stick in Trump's craw that a black man beat his hand picked and endorsed candidate. Same with the Republicans in the Florida Legislature, and of course, Rick Scott who would have to greet him and hand him the keys to the Governor's mansion while pretending not to be seething with inner rage.

That in itself is reason enough for me to support him.

Just like the "never Hillary"‘ voters... little did you know you have so much in common with those you fight with here

[Darth Omar]

Anyone notice RCP gave Desantis a +6 advantage but he won by +20?

Polls, anyone lol?

[jimmymccready]

Gillum will show much or not if the Trump wall is cracking.

[Stretch]

Gillum winning is a gift to the Pubs.

[Darth Omar]

Gillum winning is a gift to the Pubs.

Meh, if he wasn’t black I’d agree.

Don’t underestimate the ‘I want to vote for the first black governor’ bloc. That race could be dicey.

[Stretch]

Meh, if he wasn’t black I’d agree.

Don’t underestimate the ‘I want to vote for the first black governor’ bloc. That race could be dicey.

I would normally agree, but I think the more standard "Bill Clinton Dem" crowd won't go for the socialist. What did he win by? At one point it was only by around 2 or 3% I think.

[Getin the ring]

so lets get this straight,

Nut bug victories these days have been reduced to one nut-bag beating another nut-bag

[canceled.2021.2]

Well, he wasn't my choice and he's probably a bit too far left and progressive for my tastes, but I'll certainly vote for him come November.

One of the nice perks if he wins, would be the knowledge of just how badly it would stick in Trump's craw that a black man beat his hand picked and endorsed candidate. Same with the Republicans in the Florida Legislature, and of course, Rick Scott who would have to greet him and hand him the keys to the Governor's mansion while pretending not to be seething with inner rage.

That in itself is reason enough for me to support him.

ROFLMAO

What is so far left about him? What of his proposals do you think suck?

Funny how you immediately focus on his race. Why are you so obsessed with race?

[Getin the ring]

Easy Teflon, race is a very sensitive subject with them

[Darth Omar]

I would normally agree, but I think the more standard "Bill Clinton Dem" crowd won't go for the socialist. What did he win by? At one point it was only by around 2 or 3% I think.

I didn’t realize it was a squeaker. You’re probably right.

I totally agree about the moderate Democrats: every race where Democrats run a socialist will expose moderates to the ‘Trump temptation’ lol.

[PostmodernProphet]

Gillum will show much or not if the Trump wall is cracking.

lol....

[dukkha]

he only won by a couple points but he was surrging. He's gonna be the media darling and he is EXTREMELY photogenic.
On the other hand he want to raise corporate taxes to pay for Medicade expansion (universal really).

so it's the darling of the left vs. what is a better candidate the the other Republicans,and the state demographics are trending left