Ryan Ray
As U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio both reach for a political advantage with their State of the Union “plus ones,” one savvy Florida freshman is doing things the old-fashioned way, playing it safe and burnishing friendships. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum will accompany Gwen Graham to Tuesday’s SOTU address in Washington.
Gillum will be an invited guest of Florida’s newest member of Congress to the annual address, as well as to a White House briefing taking place as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting.
“I am very excited to connect and share ideas with mayors from around the U.S. this week, and to learn about innovative policies and opportunities for the City of Tallahassee,” said Mayor Gillum in a statement. “I look forward to representing the interests and priorities of our City to our leaders in Washington, and I am honored by Congresswoman Graham’s invitation to hear the President’s State of the Union Address.”
Graham, effusive per usual, responded in kind: “Mayor Andrew Gillum represents the kind of new leadership we need from North Florida to Washington. I’m hopeful the President’s speech will include new ideas that Democrats and Republicans can both support to better Tallahassee and the Second Congressional District.”
In the wake of the long national ideological purge — reaching its apotheosis in 2010 — that vanquished many Southern Blue Dogs, Graham and Gillum are North Florida’s top Democrats.
