Politician Vying To Become Florida’s First Black Governor

There’s a new political superstar on the scene Andrew Gillum is on his way to making history by becoming Florida’s first black Governor.

On Tuesday night, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, whose campaign first sputtered then surged in its final weeks, staged an upset in Florida’s Democratic primary for governor — shocking the state’s political establishment and setting the stage for a November contest against a staunch political ally of Donald Trump, Rep. Ron DeSantis, who owes his own nomination to the president.

The 39-year-old is the first black American to win either major party’s nomination for statewide office in Florida and the third top-of-ticket black candidate in the United States to be nominated this year, joining Maryland’s Ben Jealous and Georgia’s Stacey Abrams, who’s also running for governor in a highly competitive state against a candidate who also received Trump’s endorsement.

Gillum has a lengthy political history and became the youngest person elected to Tallahassee’s City Commission when he was just 23-years-old. Not only that, he’s got big names backing him like Senator Bernie Sanders who praised his stances on health care, the minimum wage, immigration, and the environment.

“Today is a historic day not just for Democrats but for every Floridian,” the Florida Democrats said in a statement on Tuesday night. “We have an opportunity to elect a leader who truly represents the best of Florida. Someone who can go through incredible odds and come out victorious. I’m proud to join my fellow Democrats to rally around Andrew Gillum for governor of Florida. This November, we have a chance to finally move this state in the right direction. It’s going to take all of us — Democrats, Republicans, and independents. If tonight is any indication of what’s to come, it’s that we’re ready to transform Florida.”