Andrew Gillum, 2018's runner-up in Florida's gubernatorial race, has expanded registration efforts in the state of Florida in hopes of leading Democrats to future victories in the state.
At a fireside chat with Tiffany Cross from The Beat DC, Gillum said he would still want to be governor and, after passing on the opportunity to run for president, has started efforts in a new way in his home state.
"Right now, I’m focused on dedicating all my efforts to help register and reengage 1 million voters and flip Florida blue," said Andrew Gillum to Blavity. “While I may not be in the ballot in 2020, everything we fight for is in the ballot: human rights, clean air, and clean water, our children’s schools, working conditions, gun safety, healthcare are all on the ballot.”
Gillum's original effort for the governor's seat came up short by just over 32,000 votes — a few moments prior to when Florida passed amendment 4, which restored voting rights to more than 1 million convicted felons. Gillum then passed on calls for him to enter the 2020 presidential race, choosing to help register voters and ensure Democratic candidates capture victories in the future instead.
"We need to connect with our communities and continue to build the progressive infrastructure that will allow us to stop Donald Trump and take back our state in 2020 and beyond,” said Gillum.
While Gillum has made pushes for future Democrats to win in the state, a federal investigation of his 2018 campaign and business ties could make it more difficult for him to be that Democrat.
“We ran an open and honest campaign. A campaign powered by thousands of volunteers and supporters. A campaign that captured imaginations and earned over 4 million votes,” Gillum said to the Tampa Bay Times. “When you run a campaign that puts the power in the hands of the people and fights for change, it inevitably invites close scrutiny, regardless of the facts.”
The Tampa Bay Times obtained a copy of the subpoena requesting information dating back to January 2015 about Gillum, his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and his political committee, Forward Florida.
Sharon Lettman-Hicks, a senior adviser to Gillum, linked the investigation of Gillum and the investigators of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate together in a private Facebook post obtained by Tampa Bay Times.
“Both Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams’ 2018 campaigns were in the spotlight this week with speculation of investigations looming, and this is no coincidence,” wrote Lettman-Hicks. “I happen to be a PAWN being used by the oppressor to raise even more speculation about how an educated, working-class Black man could run a phenomenal statewide campaign, become a national phenom, and didn’t resort to backhanded tactics to advance his agenda."
