Andrew Gillum Speaks: 'I'm Not Leaving the Field'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Andrew Gillum is about to be out of a job, either way.

As of Monday, he will no longer be the mayor of Tallahassee. The Florida machine recount of more than 8 million ballots won’t be over by then. It was authorized automatically on November 10th when Gillum’s deficit in the Florida governor’s race dipped below .5 percent, and Palm Beach County got a judge’s ruling extending its deadline to Tuesday, November 20th for submitting its results. So, for at least a day, Gillum will wake up not holding elective office for the first time since he was a senior in college.

Thanks for the reminder, I needed that,” Gillum says with a laugh when speaking by phone with Rolling Stone on Tuesday, his first press interview since he withdrew his concession. “Quite frankly, if I’m unsuccessful in this race — after a legitimate vote has been taken and after a legitimate count has been completed, and if I’m not the victor here — what I have said, certainly in this moment that we now find ourselves, is that I’m not leaving the field.”

What does “not leaving the field” mean for Gillum, though? Should he succeed against steep odds, overcoming a deficit of a little more than 33,000 votes to defeat Republican rival Ron DeSantis, that question is answered easily. Gillum, 39, would become the first black governor of the third most populous state in the nation, one of the Democratic Party’s most visible and charismatic young stars. But what if he loses?

Gillum offers a clue with his approach to the recount, spending last Sunday and Monday barnstorming through predominantly black churches in the state and encouraging audiences to fight to ensure that every vote is tallied. Gillum spoke with Rolling Stone while he and running mate Chris King were in Orlando, thanking campaign staff for their work and urging them to remain vigilant as the recount ensues. We discussed his approach to the recount, and why he is using it as a moment to tell Florida — and America — something about itself.

-more-

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/andrew-gillum-florida-recount-756072/

[Haggis for Breakfast]

1. I hope he wins.

I hope he wins. I hope he wins. I hope he wins. I hope he wins. I hope he wins. I hope he wins. I hope he wins.

[monmouth4]

2. Me too, he was here in West Palm last week and I was so impressed. He has a great future IMO..n/t

[Awsi Dooger]

3. The darn Cuban vote changed the two Florida races

This article from Marc Caputo a week before election day was very astute. The Cuban vote in South Florida is always fluid and somewhat unpredictable. This time scare tactics from the GOP worked, linking Gillum to Venezuelan-type socialism. It was aimed at Gillum but I think it took down Nelson narrowly in the process. The percentages in the most heavy Cuban precincts were even more lopsided than the Mason-Dixon poll hinted at:

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/10/31/poll-gillum-nelson-winning-florida-hispanics-but-cuban-americans-could-keep-florida-red-674341

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article217956930.html

[Haggis for Breakfast]

4. I swear I don't get this.

Before I go further, I lived in FL for a decade. I don't get why the Cubans consistently vote for Republicans. It makes NO sense to me. Now that Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtinen are gone and Marco is likely to be marginalized, what are they getting out of the GOP ? If they think that DeSatanic is going to be their friend, they are wrong.