Miami Herald Editorial Board: Andrew Gillum will be a governor for all Floridians

[riversedge]

Andrew Gillum will be a governor for all Floridians

https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article220402140.html

By Miami Herald Editorial Board


October 21, 2018 10:22 AM

Updated October 21, 2018 02:38 PM

For a complete list of the Miami Herald recommendations for the Nov. 6 general election, click here.

Andrew Gillum is the best candidate to pull Florida back to the center, back to making sure the middle class and working class don’t continue to bear the brunt of Tallahassee’s misguided spending; back to acting on behalf of the Floridians denied health insurance by the current administration; back to putting public schools, which serve the majority of the state’s children, in the spotlight; back to being a leader in the fight against sea-level rise and the degradation of the environment.

The tenacity, political smarts and commitment to public service that propelled this Tallahassee mayor to victory from the bottom of the pack of better-known candidates in August’s Democratic primary speak volumes. We think that each quality will serve him well as he likely confronts and negotiates with a Republican-dominated Legislature. These lawmakers were used to falling into line behind a governor whose often skewed sense of public service too often matched their own.

Floridians can only expect more of the same should Gillum’s Republican opponent, Ron DeSantis, move into the Governor’s Mansion. That wouldn’t be good for Florida or the people who call it home.


It’s unseemly that, in a race in which the issues should be front and center, DeSantis and his surrogates have tried to paint Gillum as a socialist, an extremist and an anti-Semite. Gillum is none of these things. Though he has received support from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described “democratic socialist,” Gillum has resolutely and rightly rejected the label. Indeed, his is nothing close to a platform of government ownership of private business.

DeSantis is using worn-out fear tactics to win votes. However, voters should really be alarmed at DeSantis’ close proximity to supporters and contributors who have made racist comments, especially at the candidate’s campaign appearances. His tepid repudiation does not persuade us that he would be the governor for all Floridians. That’s something voters themselves should reject. Gillum has conducted an all-embracing, optimistic and engaging campaign throughout the state, another quality that speaks well of the state leader he would be.

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article220402140.html#storylink=cpy.......................................

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R! They were discussing him on MSNBC tonight - he really has a gift!

Both Andrew Gillum and Beto O'Rourke are giving us hope!