Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum campaigned at an event in downtown St. Augustine on Sunday and urged those in attendance to “vote like our lives depend on it.”
Speaking to supporters at the Plaza de la Constitucion, Gillum discussed what he believes is necessary to “put the state of Florida on the right path going forward.” Joining him for the Oct. 28 event were Ges Selmont, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident and Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida’s 4th District; Nancy Soderberg, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida’s 6th District; Jaime Perkins, an Independent candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 17; and Nell Seymour Toensmann, the chair of the St. Johns County Democratic Executive Committee.
Gillum, who is currently the mayor of Tallahassee, started by addressing today’s current political climate.
“Because of the degradation of our political discourse, we now see people taking to violent extremes as a way to express a political point,” he said. “I will try to run this race every step of the way by giving voters something to go out there and vote for and not just against.”
Among the several issues Gillum touched upon was a lengthy discussion on his goal to raise wages of teachers in Florida. He noted that teachers are responsible for cultivating and inspiring “the minds of our most precious gifts: our children.” Yet, he said, the average salary for teachers in Florida is the 45th lowest out of all 50 states. In addition to raising pay, Gillum said, if elected, he would work to integrate more skills training into public education so that kids have opportunities for blue-collar jobs in addition to white-collar jobs.
On a similar note, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate expressed his support for common sense gun reform to keep kids safe. He advocated for instituting a ban on “guns that can fire off 60 bullets in 60 seconds;” strengthening and requiring background checks for people who want to buy a gun and carry; and restricting gun access from domestic violence abusers.
Under a Gillum administration, he also said his team would work to “put the word protection back into our Department of Environmental Protection.”
“This is our clean air, this is our clean water, these are our beaches and our ocean and there is no corporate profit, no corporate entity big enough to take that away from us,” Gillum said.
Gillum additionally discussed his desire to expand Medicaid, transform transportation, ensure equal pay for women and protect women’s right to choose, among several other topics.
As for his opponent, Gillum said Ron DeSantis’ campaign has “only been run through negativity.” In two debates, Gillum said DeSantis has had the opportunity to cast his vision for Florida but has instead talked about what’s wrong with him (Gillum). In addition, Gillum called DeSantis’ vision inconsistent and not in the best interest of the people.
Toward the end of his address, Gillum once again encouraged those in attendance to vote and discussed how this election is different compared to those in the past.
“When was the last time a Democratic nominee for governor campaigned the last nine days in this part of the state?” Gillum asked. “We haven’t. This is different. I’m here because I believe your votes matter. You matter. I’m here because I want you to know I want to be your governor too.”
