Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum stunned the political establishment last month when he received the Democratic Party’s nomination to run against Trump endorsed Ron DeSantis in November’s Florida Governor race.
There was no doubt that Gillum, a graduate of Florida A&M, had the support of his alma mater’s student body as a result of rallies and political discussion panels held during the homestretch.
With all the support Gillum received from FAMUs campus, it’s worth noting that the 39-year-old progressive Democrat enjoyed plenty of support at Florida State University, too.
Based on a non-scientific survey of the students on FSU’s campus, it was discovered that the Seminoles support Gillum almost as universally as the Rattlers.
The general consensus among students is that Gillum has established a sound track record as mayor, and this has allowed students to put their confidence in him as their choice for governor.
Tyler Phillips, who serves on the executive board of Noles for Dustin, a political organization behind local mayort candidate and former Gillum chief of staff Dustin Daniels, believes that Gillum is leading the charge for Tallahassee and the Democratic Party. “The Democratic Party has good grassroots momentum between local and state politics,” Phillips said.
Many FSU students also believe that Republicans have been in power for too long.
“He’s looking to bring good opportunities, good paying jobs, that’s what our state needs. We’ve had 20 years of Republican leaders, and we’ve gone backwards,” Phillips said.
Although very few students voted Republican in the primary, and they still believe that Gillum has a good chance against DeSantis, some said they were impressed with his efforts leading up to the primaries.
“It was a very interesting race..Gillum did a great job of promoting, he had students handing out fliers, and I think that was a big reason that he ended up winning was because of the student vote.”, said Seth Stubbs, a DeSantis supporter.
Many on FSU’s campus are anxious about the student turnout come November.
Nathan Davis, a Nextgen FSU field organizer and political science student, says that Gillum represents everything about the millenial generation – ”young, progressive and diverse.”
When asked about his chances against DeSantis, David said, “We will win, it takes people talking to each other, we’re talking to students about the issues they care about. That’s why they need to go out and vote.”