Andrew Gillum is the Governor Florida Needs
In Florida, progressive Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum is in a close race with Trump clone, Ron DeSantis who has used mudslinging and race to motivate his conservative base in the state. Gillum is running an optimistic, forward-looking campaign while DeSantis went negative immediately, hurling every clichéd right-wing barb his way, calling him a socialist and extremist. And DeSantis injected race into the contest just a day after the primaries by cautioning voters in a Fox News interview not to "monkey this up," an old fashioned racist dog whistle, that even many conservatives found offensive.
Miami Herald: "DeSantis is using worn-out fear tactics to win votes. However, voters should really be alarmed at DeSantis’ close proximity to supporters and contributors who have made racist comments, especially at the candidate’s campaign appearances. His tepid repudiation does not persuade us that he would be the governor for all Floridians. That’s something voters themselves should reject. Gillum has conducted an all-embracing, optimistic and engaging campaign throughout the state, another quality that speaks well of the state leader he would be."
And, Gillum has not let his campaign get sidetracked, keeping his focus on the issues most important to Floridians such as access to health care and funding primary education.
Miami Herald: "Gillum would work with the Legislature to expand Medicaid. There are at least 400,000 Floridians who do not have health insurance. Even so, local taxpayers still subsidize the uninsured by paying for the most expensive care — delivered in emergency rooms, where such patients go at their sickest. In providing coverage, Florida would take the burden off local taxpayers by ensuring they get less costly, preventive care first."...
"Gillum would push for more funding for traditional public schools. They have gotten short shrift from the Scott administration, with charter schools getting an ever-increasing chunk of the education budget."
Gillum is conducting a campaign that addresses the needs of this and future generations of Floridians. DeSantis is appealing to voters' basest instincts. Their campaigns tell you quite a bit about how they would govern if elected.
