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Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum during a campaign rally in Tampa, Florida, on August 17, 2018. Chris O’Meara/AP
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum during a campaign rally in Tampa, Florida, on August 17, 2018. Chris O’Meara/AP

Andrew Gillum could be first African-American governor of Florida

Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, surprised everyone with his progressive campaign and his victory in the Democratic primary in Florida on Tuesday.

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The Bernie Sanders-style progressive phenomenon has once again shown its strength, this time in the primary elections in Florida.

The African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, won a stunning victory Tuesday night in the Democratic primaries for the governorship of Florida against former congresswoman Gwen Graham.

Gillum is the latet victory of the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and one of its most important triumphs during this electoral cycle, according to the Washington Post.

The Gillum-Graham confrontation is the closest example to the political reality of the country, where new progressive candidates supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders manage to defeat traditional opponents representing the political establishment.

"This is an unequivocal win for the liberal Sanders wing of the party, and Gillum is guaranteed to get more attention as the first African-American nominee for governor in Florida," the Post explained.

Gillum, 39, launched his candidacy with a progressive proposal that includes Medicare for all, a minimum wage of $15 and the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its current form, according to The Daily Beast.

In a state that has been ruled by Republicans for the last 20 years, the emergence of a candidate like Gillum is not only surprising but a symptom of the political and ideological revolt that the country is experiencing, especially among those who support the Democratic Party.

"What has made Andrew's campaign so powerful is that he’s not only working hard to win an election, he has laid out a vision for a new course for the state of Florida and for our country," Sanders said in a statement.

During the November elections, Gillum will face Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis who won the nomination of his party by 20 points after President Trump expressed public support.

While Gillum did not use impeachment or direct attacks against President Trump, his now-challenger DeSantis went all in on the president.

DeSantis not only appeared frequently on Fox News but also supported the idea of putting an end to Robert Mueller's investigation, made a video in which he built a wall of toy blocks with his children and even read them Trump’s book "The Art of the Deal."

Gillum’s triumph in the Democratic primary is another example of the strategy that works best to counteract the Trump administration — an improved version of the Democratic proposal and propositions that go over Republican political proselytism.

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