Ryan Nicol
Andrew Gillum is hitting the 2020 campaign trail after his political committee, Forward Florida, endorsed more than 20 Democrats in legislative races statewide.
“I’m thrilled to be supporting fantastic candidates all across Florida and to be working on building lasting Democratic infrastructure in this state,” Gillum said in a Tuesday statement announcing the news.
Gillum says he’ll be visiting those targeted districts in January and February.
In early December, 21 Democratic candidates secured the endorsement of Forward Florida. That move came after a late November announcement that Forward Florida would be giving $150,000 to the Florida Democratic Party House Victory Caucus, a group aimed at helping Democrats take the state House.
State Rep. Cindy Polo of House District 103, one of those 21 candidate endorsed by Forward Florida, echoed the goal of turning the state House blue.
“We flipped House District 103 last year because the voters knew it was time to give a voice to all, and not just some. In 2020, I’m making it known that my seat is taken, and that together, we can flip the Florida House,” Polo said.
“As a leading progressive voice in Florida, Andrew Gillum continues to use his voice to uplift others. I am honored to receive his endorsement because Floridians win when we rally around an inclusive vision.”
While Gillum’s operation could help Democrats in competitive contests, taking control of the state House is an incredible long shot.
Republicans control that body by a 73 to 47 seat majority. That would require Democrats to flip 14 seats currently held by Republicans in 2020. And that’s assuming the Democrats don’t lose control of a single district, despite the expectation that several Democrat-held seats will see competitive races in 2020.
Kayser Enneking, a House District 21 candidate who was also backed by Gillum’s group, issued a statement Tuesday following the news Gillum would be campaigning for Democrats statewide.
“Our campaign is about giving every family a voice in Tallahassee,” Enneking said.
“It is time for our state to make progress on issues that matter to everyday Floridians: from expanding healthcare, to improving our schools, protecting our natural resources, and ensuring everyone has access to economic opportunity. And we must start with organizing: connecting with voters to hear their needs and share our message. That work begins now.”
Earlier this year, Gillum’s group promised to help “register and engage 1 million new voters” prior to the 2020 election. But a report from Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles showed the group showed Democratic registrations had increased by just over 10,000 from Sept. 2018 to Sept. 2019. Republican registrations had gone up by a net of around 23,000.
Gillum will also be looking to do “targeted voter registration throughout the districts” he plans on giving focus to in 2020.
2 comments
No More Republicans !
December 17, 2019 at 12:24 pm
It’s a waste of time at this point to focus on flipping the Florida House by picking up 14 seats – while the Dems would only need to flip 4 seats to take over the Florida Senate – which would be a much more effective brake on the Republican House and a Republican Governor. Same thing at the federal level! Moscow Mitch has more than proven that the Senate actually steers the ship! So goes the Senate, so goes the country!
Loki Luck III
December 19, 2019 at 2:16 pm
Has he contacted his Sugar Daddies George Soros & Tommy Steyer?
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