Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) says that his surprise victory in Tuesday’s gubernatorial Democratic primary in Florida shows that left-leaning members of his party can run on their values without fear of losing voters.
In an interview with CNN’s “New Day,” Gillum responded to questions from host John Berman on whether his candidacy, backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) against an establishment favorite, represented a shift to the left for the Democrats.
{mosads}”What we are clear about is that we can run wholly on our values,” Gillum says. “We can talk to people in a common-sensical way about the issues that confront them, and quite frankly it doesn’t matter if you’re in the rural panhandle of Florida or the I-4 corridor.”
Gillum’s campaign endorsed a “Medicare-For-All” public health-care plan supported by Sanders as well as aggressive action on Florida’s environmental issues and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), issues which set Gillum firmly to the left in his party and drew contrast from his more centrist opponent, Gwen Graham.
On Wednesday, Gillum said that his campaign’s embrace of left-leaning causes gave voters a clear choice and a positive message to rally behind.
“We can talk about those things, excite our voters, and give them something to vote for, not just against,” Gillum said, echoing criticism of the Democratic Party that suggests the party is too focused on being opposed to President Trump.
Gillum edged out Graham by single digits Tuesday night after earlier this month winning the endorsement of Sanders, who traveled to the state to campaign for the candidate in the weeks leading up to the election.
“What has made Andrew’s campaign so powerful is that he’s not just working hard to win an election, he has laid out a vision for a new course for the state of Florida and our country. No one person can take on the economic and political elites on their own,” Sanders said in a statement Tuesday night.
“Tonight, Floridians joined Andrew in standing up and demanding change in their community. That’s what the political revolution is all about and Andrew Gillum is helping to lead it.”
Gillum, who is running to replace term-limited Gov. Rick Scott (R), will face Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who is backed by Trump, in November’s general election.