The narrative being promoted by much of the media and some moderate Democrats that Andrew Gillum, the new Democratic nominee for governor in Florida, is an extreme-left candidate is predictably bogus. My Facebook feed is replete today with posts from traditional Democrats contending that Gillum's victory was a huge mistake and that he will take the party down to defeat.
Bernie Sanders brought a compelling progressive platform and a small army of devoted followers to the Democratic Party in 2016. Not surprisingly, his insurgency angered many Democrats, because he didn't register as a Democrat until he ran for President. In turn, Clinton's victory incensed many Sanders supporters who bought into a false narrative that Clinton had stolen the nomination. Sanders' progressivism did not attract enough minority voters. Clinton did not inspire enough younger voters or independents. The biggest danger the Democrats face in this fall's midterms is a continuation of the Sanders/Clinton divide. The ideal Democratic dynamic for November's critical election is one in which the two sides move past 2016 and create a majority coalition, and candidates that represent that coalition, to take down Trump.
Gillum is not a far-left extremist. He is, in fact, the personification of a new, bigger-tent, post-2016 Democratic Party.
Yes, Bernie Sanders endorsed Gillum, as did pro-Sanders groups Democracy in Action and the Working Families Party. But Gillum was a strong Clinton supporter in 2016; he spoke on her behalf at the Democratic convention. Gillum's Florida candidacy was endorsed by Julian Castro, BlackPAC, Color of Change, Tom Steyer's Next Generation America, and Moms Demand Action--who all supported Clinton in 2016.
Gillum could lose in November. The Florida gubernatorial election will be the most pathologically savage campaign that we have ever seen. But the old practice of nominating candidates indistinguishable from Republicans or former Republicans like Crist led to losses in 2010 and 2014. Gillum and Stacey Adams in Georgia are committed to a strategy of not apologizing for being a Democrat and of running on a progressive campaign that could unite the opposition in Florida. The outcome will say a lot not only about the future of the Democratic Party but about the future of the country.
The ugliest, meanest campaign ever
Fasten your seat belts.
Andrew Gillum, the black mayor of Tallahassee, won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida tonight.
Like Stacey Adams in adjacent Georgia, Gillum is an aggressive progressive who will run a general election campaign focused not on attracting Trump voters but on turning out the vote across the potential Democratic coalition: liberals, moderates, minorities, and millennials. Gillum supports legalizing marijuana, single-payer health care, abolishing ICE, and impeaching Trump. Gillum, who campaigned for Clinton in 2016, was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, George Soros, and Tom Steyer. His opponents spent $90 million (!!) on this primary. Gillum spent $4 million. Like Adams, Gillum's opponent will be a hardcore Trumpist.
Florida is always a brutal election battleground, but the stakes are incredibly high this year. Florida is one of the most populous states in the country and its Electoral College votes could determine the 2020 Presidential contest. The state's Congressional Districts will be redrawn during the next governor's term.
Trump told evangelical leaders at a dinner last night that if the Democrats win the House, they will unleash antifa to violently attack the general population. This is where the GOP is already at 70 days away from the November midterms. If signs of a blue wave continue to persist, this fall will see the most vicious, howling, bare-knuckled elections we have seen in this country in a century. The Republicans' only accomplishment has been a phenomenally unpopular tax cut. The Trump gang will soon focus full time on what they do best--scaring the shit out of their base by applying massive, relentless doses of outfront, shrieking racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism racism.