Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum came from behind Tuesday to win the Democratic primary for Florida’s gubernatorial race Tuesday.
Gillum, who received the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., surged in the final weeks, edging out out the leader of the pack, Democrat Gwen Graham, and beating four other candidates.
Despite Graham’s sizable war chest, including contributions from Emily’s List, the former Tallahassee congresswoman fell short. Gillum received some cash help from billionaire activist Tom Steyer.
Steyer’s NextGen Climate organization has history with Gillum. When Gillum led the Young Elected Officials Network he partnered with NextGen for a conference to train young elected officials on climate change policy.
Gillum, the only nonmillionaire candidate, is hoping to become the state’s first black governor. If Gillum ultimately wins in November, he’d oversee Florida’s congressional redistricting in 2020 and will have veto power over the plan. He’s also made gun control a central pillar of his campaign. The issue is expected to take center stage in the general as Florida is home now to two of the deadliest mass shootings in recent American history.
Problems could arise for Gillum, however, as the FBI continues its probe into Tallahassee city government. Gillum said he’s been informed he’s not a focus of the investigation but one of his close friends has been subpoenaed in relation to it.
Florida hasn’t elected a Democrat to the governor’s mansion in 20 years.
