Andrew Gillum to speak at Washington civil rights conference

Despite losing the Florida Governor race, Andrew Gillum still has a knack for getting media coverage.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum will speak in Washington, D.C., at a conference on civil rights.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights hosts its “Bend Toward Justice” gathering in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.

Gillum will participate in a conversation with The Beat DC co-founder Tiffany Cross.

The event shows some of the national star power the former Tallahassee Mayor continues to hold, even after his narrow defeat this year to Republican Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis.

The D.C. event this year has expanded to be an all-day conference for the first time and expects to see 500 rights advocates convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Gillum, along with potential presidential candidate and New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, Hawaii U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, Washington U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Michigan U.S. Rep.-elect Rashida Tlaib, will headline the event.

But civil rights voices from across the nation will lead other sessions as well.

Florida Rights Restoration Coalition President Desmond Meade will participate in a conversation with Advancement Project executive director Judy Browne Dianis

That talk comes fresh off the heels of a major victory for the Restoration Coalition, namely the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which will automatically restore voting rights for an estimated 1.4 million nonviolent felons before the next election.

Gillum and his wife, R. Jai Gillum, championed the issue on the campaign trail, so it’s likely the measure will be discussed by the former gubernatorial candidate as well, especially in the wake of losing the governor’s mansion by just 32,463 votes, or 0.4 percent of more than 8.2 million cast.

The Democrat, who did make history this year as the first African-American to win the Florida gubernatorial nomination for a major party, drew a national spotlight to the sometimes racially charged election.

He will speak in Washington days after his campaign announced its “Next Steps” effort to direct volunteer support from the Governor’s race toward other policy issues and the election of progressive candidates to office in Florida.